Israeli tycoon Benny Steinmetz arrested on arrival in Cyprus

Israeli billionaire mining tycoon Benny Steinmetz was arrested upon his arrival in Larnaca last Thursday and is expected to make a court appearance later this week.

His arrest stems from a European warrant issued by Romanian authorities. Steinmetz was convicted in absentia in Romania in a fraud case linked to land purchase and exploitation.

In December 2020, Romanian authorities imposed a five-year prison sentence on him in connection with this case, subsequently issuing a European arrest warrant for the Israeli businessman.

However, in March 2022, Greece rejected this arrest warrant, a decision also upheld by Italy.

Notably, Benny Steinmetz faced a previous arrest in November 2021 at Athens' Eleftherios Venizelos airport due to an international Interpol Romania warrant on fraud charges.

(Information sourced from The Times of Israel and Reuters)