Illegal land restitution file: Prince Paul, Truica remain under house arrest, Andronic under judicial control

By Victor Lupu Last updated Dec 21, 2015

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The High Court of Cassation and Justice (ICCJ – Supreme Court) has ruled on Monday against the National Anti-corruption Directorate’s (DNA) appeal and has maintained the decision rules by the Court of Appeal Brasov in the file of Baneasa Farm restitution with damages up to EUR 130 million, ziare.com reports.
Prince Paul (photo) and businessman Remus Truica are to remain under house arrest, while journalist Dan Andronic and the other defenders remain under judicial control.
The appeal was judged last Friday, however the court issued the decision on Monday. The ruling is final.
Among the defenders is also Gheorghe Sin, the president of the Academy for Agricultural Sciences, who has been placed under judicial control.
Prince Paul (Paul Lambrino) was detained for 24 hours earlier this month by the DNA Brasov prosecutors, in the file of illegal restitution of land in Ilfov County, in which are charged also businessman Remus Truică and lawyer Robert Rosu and three others were put under judicial control.
The magistrates of the Brasov Court of Appeal decided to place under house arrest Remus Truică and Robert Rosu and under judicial control Dan Andronic, Marius Marcovici and Lucian Mateescu.
Remus Truică will be investigated under house arrest, decided the court.
Baneasa Farm was returned to Paul of Romania, as heir of Carol II, when the members of the Land Fund of the Bucharest City Hall, headed then by Adriean Videanu, recommended the Institute for Plants Research in Romania (ICPR) to return the land.
The institute’s Board of Directors decided to approve the land return, although at the time Paul Lambrino (Prince Paul) was not yet legal heir of King Carol II.
The plot of land was only formally handed to Prince Paul of Romania, as he had already sold the rights on the property to the company Reciplia SRL for EUR 4 million.

Israeli billionaire Benjamin Steinmetz and political consultants Tal Silberstein and Shimon Sheves, the latter had been the chief of staff to former Israeli Prime Minister Yizhak Rabin, are also to be investigated in the file of illegal restitution involving businessman Remus Truica and several accomplices.
Businessman Remus Truică, general manager of the daily ‘Evenimentul Zilei’ Dan Andronic, lawyer Robert Rosu, Marius Marcovici – former adviser to Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu and businessman Claudiu Mateescu were detained in the file of illegal restitution of land in Ilfov County.
DNA says that since November 2006, Remus Truică and lawyer Robert Rosu allegedly have set up a criminal group that aimed to acquire the whole property illegally claimed by Paul Lambrino (the unrecognized grandson of King Carol II, presenting himself as Prince Paul). DNA says the criminal group wanted to acquire the property claimed by Paul Lambrino by providing money / goods to the persons with the authority / institutions holding these properties.
Dan Andronic (political consultant for the PSD, then for PNL and subsequently for PDL), Marius Andrei Marcovici (personal adviser to Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu) and Lucian Mateescu (businessman with interests in real estate) had joined the criminal group in 2007-2011, DNA informs in the release.
Truica promised Paul Lambrino that he can recover the wealth, about which the prosecutors say it was illegally claimed. Truica claimed to have relationships in politics and justice at the highest level, and prosecutors say he had promised to influence the High Court through the services of a top law firm. Instead, Truica asked from Paul Lambrino between 50-80% of the value of each property to be obtained.
In his turn, Remus Truica allegedly co-opted Israeli billionaire Benjamin ‘Benny’ Steinmetz and consultants Tal Silberstein and Shimon Sheves and lawyer Robert Rosu “thus constituting a criminal group that aimed to acquire the entire property claimed by Prince Paul of Romania by deeds of corruption or assimilated to corruption, by giving money / goods to officials with the authorities / institutions holding these properties to influence their decisions, by influence trafficking on public servants,” according to the DNA report.