Israeli businessman and billionaire Beny Steinmetz, who is currently in Greece, will be extradited to Romania for his conviction in a plot to seize land in the country, the Athens Court of Appeals ruled yesterday, "Reuters" reports.
In 2020, Steinmetz was found guilty by the Romanian court of involvement in a plot to seize land in the country, which previously belonged to the exiled Romanian royal family. Since then, Romania has been working to extradite Steinmetz, but until yesterday had not succeeded.
Both Greece and Cyprus had previously dismissed Romania's extradition requests, and the arrest warrant issued by Interpol against Steinmetz was also canceled. The billionaire's defense attorneys have also thwarted extradition requests filed in other European countries. The decisions to prevent Steinmetz's extradition were based on the notorious prison conditions in Romania.
But Steinmetz's legal situation changed last October, when he arrived in Athens on a flight from Tel Aviv and was arrested upon landing. The arrest in Greece was carried out in accordance with a European arrest warrant issued against Steinmetz. The businessman was released on bail of €5,000, and has been in Greece since then, awaiting the decision of the court in Athens regarding the request for his extradition.
Greece expected to issue arrest warrant against Steinmetz
Following yesterday's ruling, an arrest warrant is expected to be issued soon for Steinmetz, who is currently hospitalized in Greece.
"This development raises difficult questions," said Steinmetz's lawyer, Stavros Togias. He insists that the Athens court's decision contradicts a previous decision made by the court in 2022 in the same case and extradition request. Togias added that the decision also contradicts the prosecutor's recommendation, and that Steinmetz has filed an appeal with the Supreme Court in Greece.
In addition to the possible extradition to Romania, Steinmetz is currently petitioning the Supreme Court in Switzerland against a three-year prison sentence, of which he has 18 months. In 2021, Steinmetz was convicted in Switzerland of paying bribes to officials in Guinea for mining rights. According to the French news agency AFP, a Swiss court dismissed Steinmetz's appeal against the sentence last November, and the businessman subsequently appealed to the country's Supreme Court.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on January 29, 2025.
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd., 2025.