A spokesperson for Beny Steinmetz confirms that the mining tycoon was arrested in Cyprus on Thursday, but says he is expected to be freed soon.
The spokesman claims that the Romanian warrant that prompted his arrest has been repeatedly rejected by other countries or agencies due to concerns over whether the trial at which he was convicted in absentia was a fair one. These include Greece and Italy, which rejected a European arrest warrant, the spokesman says, and Interpol, which canceled its Red Notice for a similar reason.
“Beny Steinmetz welcomes the opportunity to be vindicated in one more European State, against Romania, a country infamous for its disrespect to human rights,” a statement reads.
The spokesman says Steinmetz is being held in a Larnaca police station. He denies the Greece-based businessman’s trip to the island is connected to a visit to Cyprus today by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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