Israeli diamond tycoon Beny Steinmetz arrested in Athens
On Sunday, at 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, as reported by 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 him was made despite a ruling by a Greek court in 2022 that rejected Romania's request for Steinmetz's extradition. The judges argued at the time that Romania would not provide the billionaire with a fair trial, and there was also a risk that he would 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 Larnaca Airport in 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.
