Benny Steinmetz, convicted in the case regarding the retrocession of Băneasa Farm, detained in Athens, was released

Billionaire Benny Steinmetz, convicted in the case regarding the retrocession of Băneasa Farm („Ferma Băneasa”), detained in Athens, was released.

”The authorities at the Eleftherios Venizelos airport, following an abusive request from the Romanian authorities, decided to arrest the Israeli businessman Beny Steinmetz during passport control.

The decision to detain Mr. Steinmetz, related to his case in Romania, constitutes a flagrant abuse of procedure on the part of the Romanian authorities.

It is unprecedented for the rule of law in Greece or in any other respected country, for such an administrative act to annul a decision of the Greek judiciary, which had ruled definitively and irrevocably against his extradition to Romania, recognizing his right to travel freely”, said Beny Steinmetz’s lawyer, Stavros Togias.

Beny Steinmetz’s defense attorney claims that, according to a spring 2022 decision by the Athens Court of Appeal — which upheld a similar ruling by Interpol against the Romanian authorities — numerous violations of Beny Steinmetz’s right to a fair trial in Romania were identified. The court admitted that he risks being subjected to discriminatory, inhuman and degrading treatment if he is extradited and detected political reasons behind his persecution, the defense of the businessman also explains.

The lawyer also says that Beny Steinmetz has been granted the right to travel freely and without restriction and without being subjected to conduct offensive to his dignity or defamatory of his business reputation.

The defense attorney of the Israeli businessman claims that the warrant issued by the Romanian authorities for the extradition of Beny Steinmetz was declared null by Interpol, Greece, Italy and Cyprus.

”The same happened with other co-defendants of Steinmetz in the same case, whose arrest warrants were not executed in France, Belgium and Malta. This brings a total of six European countries that have rejected the legally unfounded claims of the Romanian judiciary in this case”, it is also stated in a press release.

Steinmetz was also detained and then released in Greece and Cyprus. More precisely, in September 2023, he was released from custody in Cyprus, where he had been arrested at Larnaca airport, due to a European arrest warrant issued by the Romanian authorities. Later, in November 2023, the Court of Appeal of Cyprus rejected his extradition to Romania.

Also, in December 2021, he had also been detained in Greece, but was released by the Greek authorities on bail.

Benyamin Steinmetz made his fortune in the diamond industry in Antwerp, Belgium between 1970 and 1997, before returning to Israel where he founded the BSGR group, focused on natural resource and real estate investments.

In December 2020, the Israeli tycoon Benyamin Steinmetz (65 years old) was definitively sentenced in absentia by the supreme court to 5 years in prison with execution in the case of the illegal return of the Royal Farm from Băneasa and the Snagov Forest. He was then put under international investigation by the Romanian Police.

Later, several members of the Jewish community and Israeli NGOs accused Beny Steinmetz of being persecuted because of his Jewish origins.

Moreover, recently the anti-Semitic discourse has exploded in Romania. The last example is that of the SOS member of the European Parliament Diana Șoșoacă, who tried to run for this year’s presidential elections, she insulted the Jews more and more often.

In a live on YouTube after the Constitutional Court of Romania rejected her candidacy for this year’s presidential elections, Diana Șoșoacă said that she has a problem with „Jews who make fun of Romanians, like I have with Germans, Ukrainians who are making fun of Romania”.

”It is not normal for you, Israel, to come with you Jews and impose the history of the Jews. What, are we Jews to learn your history? Go to Israel! Ah, excuse me, that’s not your country, it’s Palestine’s!”, said Șoșoacă.

The General Prosecutor’s Office announced that it self-referred after the president of SOS Romania, MEP Diana Șoșoacă, paid tribute to the former legionary leader Corneliu Zelea Codreanu and made an incitement to anti-Semitism.

Diana Șoșoacă’s party enjoys support in Romania and its members will most likely enter the Parliament after the December 1 elections.