Israeli billionaire Beny Steinmetz detained in Athens again
On Sunday at the Athens airport, Israeli billionaire Beny Steinmetz was detained. He is wanted on an international arrest warrant. Steinmetz is suspected, among other things, of involvement in a criminal group, according to the eKathimerini portal on Monday.
The Greek authorities stated that the 68-year-old businessman was detained after arriving from Tel Aviv based on a warrant issued by Romania.
Beny Steinmetz detained
The decision to detain Steinmetz was made despite a ruling by a Greek court in 2022 that rejected Romania's request for his extradition. The judges argued at the time that Romania would not provide the billionaire with a fair trial, and there was a risk that he might be treated in an inhumane manner. On Monday, a Greek court is set to consider an appeal regarding the businessman.
A year ago, Steinmetz was detained at the airport in Larnaca, Cyprus, due to the European arrest warrant issued by Romania, but he was released after posting bail.
Steinmetz, who made his fortune through diamond trading, was sentenced in absentia in Romania in 2020 for fraudulent land transactions. Furthermore, in Switzerland, he was convicted of document forgery and bribing officials in Guinea in exchange for mining concessions for iron ore deposits.
