France Rejects Extradition of Paul Philippe from Romania
Allegations of Political Motivation in the Baneasa Royal Farm Case.
The Paris Court of Appeal on Wednesday refused to extradite Paul Philippe from Romania to Bucharest. Paul Philippe, also known as Prince Paul of Romania, was definitively sentenced to three years and four months in prison for his involvement in the illegal restitution case of the Royal Farm of Baneasa.
Paul Philippe of Romania claims that the extradition request was made for “political” purposes to enforce a conviction in a case of illegal property restitution, as reported by France Presse. The Extradition Chamber of the Paris Court of Appeal rejected the surrender “due to a real risk of violating the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.” Dressed in a black coat, blue suit, and purple shirt, the 75-year-old Paul Philipe Al Romania received the decision with a smile, according to AFP.
This decision can be appealed by the prosecutor general. Paul Philipe Al Romania was the subject of a European arrest warrant issued on December 18, 2020, one day after being definitively convicted in Romania to three years and four months in prison for his role in the illegal restitution case of the Royal Farm of Baneasa. In this case, 18 people were convicted, including Israeli businessmen Tal Silberstein and Beny Steinmetz, and the damage to the state was estimated by prosecutors at 145 million euros.
He was provisionally arrested on June 27, 2022, in France, for the execution of the European arrest warrant issued by the Romanian judicial authorities, based on the final conviction decision. According to the Ministry of Justice in Romania, the French court is competent to decide on the execution of this European arrest warrant and the surrender of the requested person.
His father, Carol Mircea Grigore, born in 1920 in Romania, was considered the illegitimate son of Carol II, King of Romania from 1930 until his abdication in 1940 in favor of his younger son, Mihai I. In 1947, the royal family was expelled from Romania by the communists, and their properties were confiscated. Paul Philippe, with French, British, and Romanian citizenship, was never recognized as a member of the royal family by his uncle Mihai, the last king of Romania, who passed away in 2017.
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