Israeli businessman Beny Steinmetz gets 5-year jail sentence in Romania

Romania's High Court (ICCJ) on December 17 announced the final sentences in the "Royal Farm'' corruption case, including a final five-year sentence for Israeli businessman Beny Steinmetz.

Prince Paul of Romania, a grandson of King Carol II of Romania, not recognized as a member of Romania's Royal Family, also received a 40-month sentence, G4media.ro reported.

The case is related to the illegal restitution of a large land plot in northern Bucharest (28 hectares), part of the former Royal Farm, and 47 hectares of forest in Snagov to Prince Paul of Romania. Prince Paul had already sold the rights for the two land plots to Steinmetz in 2006.

The prosecutors argued that Paul didn't have the right to claim those assets in the first place. The damage caused by the group who orchestrated this illegal restitution was estimated at EUR 145 mln.

Local businessman Remus Truica, a former cabinet director of prime minister Adrian Nastase, and a key person in this deal, got the highest sentence - 7 years. Tal Silberstein, former political consultant of PM Nastase and PM Calin Popescu Tăriceanu, then a consultant of the Liberal Democrat Party and former president Traian Basescu, also got a 5-year sentence.

Journalist Dan Andronic received a suspended three-year sentence, and the lawyer Robert Rosu was sentenced to 5 years in prison.

The damage in the case amounts to more than EUR 145 million, over EUR 135 mln accounting for the value of the lands of the former Royal Farm located in Băneasa close to Bucharest and almost EUR 10 mln accounting for another plot of land, Fundu Sacului forest in Snagov also close to Bucharest.

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