Israeli billionaire Beny Steinmetz is being held in Greece following his conviction in the Romanian Supreme Court over fraudulent land deals. A "red notice" was issued by Interpol to enforce the five year prison sentence handed down to him but Steinmentz was detained, even though the order for his detention was cancelled in all European countries, before his flight to Greece, sources have told "Globes." Steinmetz is being allowed to move freely around Greece but is being prevented from leaving the country, until the matter is clarified.
"A red notice" represents an international arrest warrant for a person who is wanted by the authorities in Interpol member countries. But the detention in Greece has come about weeks after Interpol's supervisory committee (CCF) instructed on October 29 that the order against Steinmetz requested by Romania be erased. In a detailed decision, the CCF decided, among other things, that the procedure being conducted against him stems from political considerations and is seriously flawed.
Steinmetz was detained at Athens airport on November 24 and has since then been kept in Greece, until the issue is cleared up. Sources familiar with the decision claim that the detention in Greece is the result of a serious breakdown in removing the notice from border controls in Europe.
Steinmetz's legal representative Adv. Eitan Maoz said, "I can confirm that Mr. Steinmetz was detained at Athens airport due to a serious breakdown in transferring data about the removal of Interpol's red notice. We are handling this matter and hope that Mr. Steinmetz will return home and to his business quickly."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on December 7, 2021.
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