Israeli businessman Benny Steinmetz, 68, was detained on October 13 in Athens upon arrival at the local airport. The arrest was carried out on the basis of an order issued by a Romanian court.
This was reported by Reuters, citing official sources in Greece.
In December 2020, a Romanian court sentenced Steinmetz to five years in prison for real estate fraud. Furthermore, in Switzerland he received a year and a half in prison in another case initiated by the Guinean authorities. However, in April 2023, a Swiss court reduced this period to three years, rejecting most of the defense arguments.
The businessman’s lawyers have repeatedly claimed that several European countries, including Greece and Italy, have annulled arrest warrants against him. Notably, in March 2022, the Athens appeals commission rejected Romania’s request to extradite Steinmetz. The court decision was motivated by the fact that his right to a fair trial could be violated in Romania, as well as by concerns that the businessman could suffer cruel or humiliating treatment. Italy also rejected Romania for similar reasons.
The defense also argued that Interpol had raised a “red notice” by revoking Romania’s international order because the country allegedly violated human rights. The lawyers stressed that the Interpol report explicitly indicated that Steinmetz was being persecuted for political reasons.
Let us remember that in September 2023, Steinmetz was already detained in Cyprus for the same order. However, the Cypriot court soon released him on bail.
Kursor also reported on an unpleasant incident with Israelis in Greece.
