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French court refuses extradition of Romanian royal descendant / Photo: Thomas SAMSON - AFP
French court refuses extradition of Romanian royal descendant
The Paris appeals court on Wednesday rejected a bid by Romania for the extradition of a descendant of the country's last kings, which had described an influence-peddling conviction against him as "political" persecution.
Extraditing the man known as Paul of Romania would present "a real risk of violation of the European Union's Charter of Fundamental Rights", the extradition court said.
Paul Philip Al Romaniei, 75, has been found guilty in his home country of working with a gang of con artists to recover properties he believes are his as the heir to the last-but-one king, Carol II (1930-40).
In France, "I knew I would receive what was denied me in Romania: a fair trial based on evidence and impartial application of the law," Paul said in a statement through his lawyers, Laurent Pasquet-Marinacce and Edward Griffith.
He added that the French ruling "constitutes full recognition of my rights as the legitimate heir of Carol II".
Paul was the target of a European arrest warrant issued in December 2020 after a Romanian court sentenced him to three years and four months in jail for influence peddling and aiding and abetting a crime.
The royal was among 18 people convicted over the schemes, believed to have cost the Romanian state 145 million euros ($159 million). They also included Israeli businessmen Tal Silberstein and Beny Steinmetz.
Paul's father, Carol Mircea Grigore, was born in Romania in 1920. He was an illegitimate son of Carol II, who ruled from 1930 until he abdicated in 1940 in favour of his younger son, Michel I.
The royal family was expelled from Romania in 1947 by the Communists, and all its properties confiscated.
Paul's father was recognised as Carol II's son in Portugal and France in 1955 and 1963, but the link was only acknowledged by Romania in 2012.
Paul himself -- who has British, French and Romanian citizenship -- returned to live in the country in the 1990s.
His uncle Michel, the last king, did not acknowledge him as part of the royal family and died in 2017.
Paul now claims that his attempts to reclaim his royal inheritance of property, land and classic artworks are the real reason for his prosecution.
Paul has also launched legal action in Paris to recover paintings removed from Romania by his uncle Michel in 1947, including two works by Renaissance master El Greco.
F.Richard--PS
