The Romanian Minister of Justice, Alina Gorghiu, announced that the court in Malta has decided, on Monday, to place the fugitive Paul Phillipe of Romania in preventive detention until May 9.
Gorghiu added that, based on the information she has, his request for release on bail was rejected, but the decision can be contested.
"The court in Malta decided today to place fugitive Paul of Romania in preventive detention until May 9. Based on the information we have, his request for release on bail was rejected, a decision that can be contested. As you know, he was sentenced to 3 years and 4 months in prison for the crimes of influence peddling and complicity in abuse of office in the Băneasa Farm case," wrote Alina Gorghiu on Facebook.
Additionally, "The Ministry of Justice will continue its efforts and will strive for Prince Paul to serve his sentence in Romania, as it does with any fugitive of the Romanian state," Gorghiu further stated.
How he was captured
The Chief of the Romanian Police, Benone-Marian Matei, provided details on how Prince Paul was captured.
He was located in a resort in Malta, together with his wife.
"There was an exchange of information with the Police in Malta. Following the information provided by Romanian police officers, the person you mentioned was located in a resort. Subsequently, he was detained and the Maltese court will be notified. The Romanian Police located him and provided real-time information to their Maltese colleagues," stated Benone-Marian Matei in a press conference.
When asked if Prince Paul resisted arrest, the Chief of the Romanian Police replied: "No, based on the information we have, he did not resist."
283 fugitives brought back to Romania in 2024
The Secretary of State in the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Bogdan Despescu, provided some additional information on this subject.
"283 individuals have been brought to Romania since the beginning of the year to serve the sentences imposed by the courts," explained Bogdan Despescu.
He mentioned that the police officers fulfilled their objective after identifying and apprehending the wanted man.
Extradition refused in France
On April 6, representatives of the Ministry of Justice stated, regarding the European arrest warrant for Paul-Philippe of Romania, that the court in France definitively rejected his extradition to our country, citing the illegal composition of the judicial panel in Romania.
"Specifically, the fact that one of the judges did not take the oath upon assuming office," according to the Ministry of Justice.
Although the prosecutor from the French Prosecutor's Office declared an appeal, he did not provide reasons within the legal deadline, and therefore, the appeal was dismissed, and the first-instance decision became final.
The Minister of Justice, Alina Gorghiu, recently stated about Prince Paul's extradition from France that she has not yet received any response from her French counterpart regarding his situation after the extradition was rejected.
"I expect the minister to be able to inquire about what happened in that case," Gorghiu said.
Why Prince Paul is internationally sought
On May 17, 2023, the Ministry of Justice presented a situation of individuals sought or wanted for execution of sentences imposed by Romanian courts, as well as the countries where they are located and the status of the procedures carried out to bring them back to the country.
Thus, according to the situation presented by MJ representatives, Prince Paul is internationally sought based on a European arrest warrant issued by the Brașov Court of Appeal on 12/18/2020 for the execution of a sentence of 3 years and 4 months in prison for the crime of influence peddling, complicity in abuse of office - damage: 9,523,769 euros.
After fleeing the country, Paul was located in France. After a brief period of being held in preventive custody in Paris, he was released on bail.