By Yannis Souliotis
ATHENS (Reuters) – Greece’s highest court has ordered the release of Israeli mining mogul Beny Steinmetz, overturning a lower court’s decision to extradite him to Romania based on an arrest warrant, as confirmed by his attorney and a source familiar with the matter speaking to Reuters on Wednesday.
Steinmetz was taken into custody by Greek authorities on October 13 shortly after his arrival in Athens via a private plane. Following a period of being detained under certain conditions, he was arrested once again in January after a judicial panel ruled in favor of his extradition to Romania. However, Steinmetz lodged an appeal against this ruling at the Supreme Court of Greece.
On Wednesday, the source revealed, “The Supreme Court has granted his appeal.”
The arrest warrant against him stems from a case dating back several years, involving allegations of his participation in a group that purportedly attempted to illicitly secure land rights in Romania. Steinmetz’s legal team has refuted the accusations made by Romanian authorities, deeming them as “baseless” and labeling Romania’s extradition requests as “misleading”, emphasizing Steinmetz’s entitlement to unrestricted travel.
“The latest development is a significant victory for Beny Steinmetz. This decision holds great weight as it originates from the upper echelon of the Greek judicial system,” remarked his lawyer, Stavros Togias, in conversation with Reuters.
Later in the day, Steinmetz was expected to be released from detention in Athens.
Romanian authorities have persistently sought to prosecute Steinmetz in multiple jurisdictions on the same charges. In a previous ruling in 2022, a Greek court had denied his extradition. Similarly, last year, the Court of Appeal in Cyprus also turned down Romania’s request for his extradition, overturning a lower court’s decision. Additionally, a court in Italy has rejected a similar request.
(Reporting by Yannis Souliotis, writing by Renee Maltezou, Editing by Alex Richardson)
