Diamond magnate Beny Steinmetz held in Greece amid Romanian extradition case

Israeli billionaire and diamond mine mogul Beny Steinmetz is facing uncertainty after he was detained by Greek police on Sunday evening over accusations of participation in a criminal enterprise, just hours after arriving via private plane at Athens International Airport.

Following an appearance before Greek prosecutors on Monday, the 68-year-old was released but now faces a ban on travelling outside Greece, pending a court ruling on an arrest warrant issued by Romania in connection with a high-profile illegal restitution case.

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

Steinmetz had been sentenced to five years in prison in absentia by the Bucharest Court of Appeal in 2020, who had alleged his involvement in a criminal group between 2006 and 2013. 

Steinmetz's arrest on Sunday is one among many attempts by Romania to successfully extradite those it claims were involved in the criminal enterprise. 

In 2023, co-accused Romanian royal heir Paul Lambrino avoided extradition to the country from Paris over claims he was involved in the same group that arranged for the illegal restitution of the Baneasa Royal Farm. 

A Greek court examining the Romanian-issued arrest warrant in 2022 had previously ruled against Steinmetz’s extradition out of concerns for his safety. Similar rulings against his extradition have since been made in Cyprus and Italy.

Steinmetz, considered by some to be Israel’s richest man, is the founder of Beny Steinmetz Group Resources