Romania reacts after Malta refuses to extradite convicted businessman

Braşov Court of Appeal in Romania, which handles the case of fugitive businessman Paul Philippe of Romania, notified the Court of Justice of the European Union about Malta's extradition refusal, according to B1 TV station. Paul Phillipe has a final 40-month jail sentence to serve in Romania in a EUR 145 mln illegal property restitution case.

Judges in Malta previously ruled that there was a "real risk" that the defendant's fundamental rights would be violated, so they rejected Romania's extradition request. The ruling is not final.

A similar decision (final) was issued earlier this year in France.

The Braşov Court of Appeal will officially contact the public prosecutor's office in Malta to request they exercise the right of appeal in time so that there are no procedural errors – as was the case with the public prosecutor's office in France, the minister of justice, Alina Gorghiu, commented.

The French court reached its decision by citing the illegal composition of the Romanian judiciary panel, according to justice minister Alina Gorghiu. It highlighted that one of the judges in Romania who had sentenced Paul Philippe to three years and four months in jail had not taken the oath upon taking office.

Paul Philipe of Romania was the subject of a European arrest warrant issued on December 18, 2020, a day after he was definitively sentenced in Romania to three years and four months in prison for the illegal restitution of the Baneasa Royal Farm case. Eighteen people were convicted in the case, among them the Israeli businessmen Tal Silberstein and Beny Steinmetz.

The damages caused to the state were estimated by prosecutors at EUR 145 million.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea)