Paris court releases fugitive Paul of Romania from house arrest, places him under judicial supervision

The Paris Court of Appeal decided to release Paul of Romania from arrest on Wednesday, April 16, placing him under judicial supervision. The fugitive cannot leave France.

Earlier this month, Paul-Philippe of Romania, sentenced to 3 years and 4 months in prison in Romania in the case regarding the illegal restitution of the Băneasa Farm, was placed under house arrest and then jailed in Paris. He is the subject of a new European arrest warrant issued by Bucharest, which is requesting his extradition.

Paul of Romania, 76, will have a hearing to examine the new arrest warrant on May 14, before the extradition chamber.

The prince's lawyer, Miriame Laïchi, said that the Paris court’s decision to release him shows that “France, like other European jurisdictions, refuses to become the instrument of judicial and political harassment orchestrated by the Romanian state with the sole purpose of preventing him from claiming his rights in the royal succession,” according to AFP.

Paul of Romania’s lawyers requested his release considering his age, “the medical reasons presented,” and guarantees of representation.

"The law has spoken. Human rights in the case of Prince Paul must be respected. This harassment by the Romanian state, which is contrary to European values, must stop immediately," the lawyer added.

In 2020, the High Court of Cassation sentenced Paul of Romania to 3 years and three months in prison for influence peddling and complicity. The prince is accused of having collaborated, between 2006 and 2013, with a gang of swindlers to recover properties he claimed as an heir to the royal family. No fewer than 18 people were convicted in the case, and the damage to the state was estimated by prosecutors at EUR 145 million.

Paul of Romania, the grandson of King Carol II, who ruled Romania from 1930 until his abdication in 1940, declared himself innocent and said he is very disappointed with his country.

In 2023, France refused to extradite Paul to Romania "due to a real risk of violation of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union." In Malta, where the prince went in April 2024 for an official ceremony, the justice system also refused to hand him over to the Romanian authorities.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos | Octav Ganea)