Israeli mining tycoon Benny Steinmetz was detained at the international airport in Athens yesterday on a warrant issued by the Romanian authorities, Kathimerini reports.
He faces prosecution in Romania on a number of charges, including involvement in a criminal organization.
Steinmetz, a multi-billionaire investor who made his fortune from diamonds, was arrested on his arrival in Athens from Tel Aviv, despite a 2022 decision by Greek justice to reject Romania’s extradition request. The judges then ruled that his right to a fair trial in Romania would be violated and that he faced a real risk of inhuman and degrading treatment if extradited.
By order of the appellate prosecutor, today he was handed over to the appellate board for review of his case, BTA reported.
A year ago, the businessman was arrested at the airport in Larnaca, Cyprus, on a European arrest warrant issued by the Romanian authorities, but was later released on bail.
Steinmetz was sentenced in absentia to five years in prison by Romania’s Supreme Court of Cassation in 2020 for illegal property deals between 2006 and 2008 – a sentence he is appealing.
He is also embroiled in a separate legal battle in Switzerland, where he was found guilty of corruption in a case related to permits to explore iron ore deposits in Guinea.