Steinmetz Held in Greece on Romanian Arrest Warrant
December 12, 21
(IDEX Online) - Diamond and mining billionaire Beny Steinmetz was detained in Greece after authorities in Romania issued a warrant for his arrest.
He was arrested when his private jet landed at Athens Airport last month, and was released 24 hours later on the condition he did not leave the country.
Steinmetz, 65, (pictured) a French-Israeli citizen, was handed a five-year jail term in December 2020 by a court in Bucharest after he was convicted of a $152m land deal fraud following the collapse of communism.
Romania's Ministry of Justice issued a European Arrest Warrant for Steinmetz, which was executed on 24 November. He remains in Greece pending a court hearing, which could take up to 90 days.
His lawyer, Eitan Maoz, blamed a "serious breakdown" in communications and said he hoped his client would be able to return home soon.
In a separate case, in January of this year, a Swiss court convicted Steinmetz of paying $8.5m in bribes to an ex-wife of the former president of Guinea, to secure iron ore rights for the BSGR Group (Beny Steinmetz Group Resources). He says he will appeal.
Steinmetz started out as a diamond trader in Antwerp, founded SDG (Steinmetz Diamonds Group) with his brother Daniel, became a major supplier and manufacturer, then diversified into real estate, mining, minerals, financing, oil and gas.