While the Romanian authorities wait to send him to prison, Paul de Romania, finally sentenced in December 2020 to 3 years and 4 months in prison in the case of the illegal retrocession of the royal farm in Benias, gives an interview to the French media. Justice in France is to rule on his extradition to Romania on January 18.

Aged 74 and still dapper, the heir to King Charles II was captured in Paris last summer after more than eighteen months on the run, writes Marianna’s magazine.

“Never forget the country you were born in”

Paul de Roumania gave an exclusive interview to French journalists, telling them that he had applied for asylum in France and condemned the real judicial torture. But with little evidence, write French journalists.

When the Bucharest police knocked on their door at around 20:30 on December 17, 2020, no one answered. The grandson of Charles II was already in Lisbon. From there he went to France. “It would be dangerous for me to stay in Portugal,” says Marianna, Paul from Romania, in an interview. “I was born in France, spent my entire youth there. You never forget the country you were born in,” says Paul de Ropmania.

Authorities searched for him for 18 months, and on June 27, 2022, French gendarmes tracked him down. Paul de Romain was arrested in the middle of the street, near Galeries Lafayette, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris.

“I wasn’t hiding!” he says. In December 2020, he sent an email through his lawyer to French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, condemning the “political decision” and asking him to “remain in France.”

“I wasn’t hiding!” says the seventy-year-old. Which makes General Marc de Tarle, the head of the Central Directorate for the fight against crime, whose gendarmes tracked down the character, smile: “He was actively wanted by the Romanian police. He certainly wasn’t a fugitive who changed his hiding place every day, but he was a fugitive. In addition, the Quai d’Orsay never responded to his request for asylum.

On January 18, the Court of Appeal of Paris is to make a decision on the Romanian authorities’ request for extradition. His hopes of getting asylum in France are slim. “I know that I am innocent,” the prince trumpeted. “Would you go back to the country to go to prison when you know you are innocent?” he asks, not hiding his fear of Romanian prisons. “I could be put in the company of very dangerous criminals who would do who knows what to me.”

He assures that the press is “paid” to harm him. That his cousin Margaret, the Keeper of the Crown, would do anything to “sabotage” him. That the Supreme Court of Cassation, which convicted him, “got in”… That his result of 0.5% in the 2000 presidential election was rigged. That Security is hiding behind the accident he had on the road in northern Italy. And he recalls that a recent report by the European Commission believes that the judicial system in Romania is still open to political influence. However, Paul from Romania plans to return to Bucharest one day for his son. “When it’s all over,” Paul concludes.

Paul’s escape from Romania

In December 2020, Paul de Romania was prosecuted after fleeing Romania before being finally sentenced by the Supreme Court to 3 years and 4 months in prison in the case of the illegal retrocession of the Royal Farm in Benias. On June 27, 2022, he was caught on the street in Paris and during checks he produced a passport issued by the British authorities. In September, he was released from prison by a decision of the Court of Appeal of Paris, being under judicial control.

On 17 December 2020, the Supreme Court of Cassation issued its final verdict in the case of the illegal retrocession of the Royal Farm in Benias, and Prince Paul was sentenced to three years and four months in prison with execution. In the first instance, he received 3 years of probation. After the sentencing, police went to Paulo al-Romania’s home in the center of the capital to take him to the penitentiary, but did not find him at home. Since then, he has been wanted internationally and by the Romanian police.

Allegations from the Ferma Băneasa file

The charges relate to crimes committed between 2006 and 2013 to obtain high-value assets, including the Snagov forest and the royal farm Băneasa, illegally claimed by Paul de Romania. The damage in this case exceeds 145 million euros, 135 million euros are only the value of the land of the former royal farm in Băneasa, and 10 million euros are the Fundu Sacului forest in Snagov.

On May 18, 2016, Remus Truica, Paul Philip from Romania, Dan Andronic, as well as businessmen Tal Silberstein, Benjamin Steinmetz and Moshe Agavi were referred to the DNA court in the case of illegal retrocession of Royal Băneasa Farm and Snagov forest.

According to DNA, Paul Philip Al Romani acquired the influence that Truică had on various officials from government agencies that owned the two properties. Truike presented the “business” of financially powerful people he contacted to get involved in criminal proceedings, the only way to get the real estate illegally claimed by Paul Philip Al Romani.

Other people also joined this group, including Dan Andronicus.

“Romanian Defendant Paul Filip promised Defendant Truică Remus and his criminal group associates a substantial share, between 50% and 80%, of the value of the assets they claim in Romania and later transferred the assets to them as they were. obtained them through fictitious sales contracts with Reciplia SRL This is for them to intervene together with the public officials involved in the retrocession procedures, because of the influence they had directly (…) and indirectly, because of the relationships they had in in the political world, in the judiciary, at the highest level and in the press (friendly/business relations with members of the government, parliamentarians, civil servants, public authorities, with influential people in the press, relations with the ÊCCJ, concluding contracts for the services of a top-level law firm ) so that they illegally identify the illegal acquisition of goods claimed by Al României Paul Philippe,” DNA said.

Prince Pavlo, Remus Truica and other members of the group later covered up the illegal nature of the deal by entering into an assignment agreement on November 1, 2006, as part of administrative or judicial repossession procedures. The contract was concluded between Prince Paul and SC Reciplia SRL represented by Remus Truică.

“This contract provides that Al României Paul Philippe, as transferor, transfers/assigns without reservation, for consideration, all its present and future rights to certain real estate listed and defined in the contract (among which Băneasa farm of land on an area of ​​28.63 hectares and Snagov forest with approximately 30 hectares of forest land). restitution procedures”, prosecutors claim.

Later, as a result of the cession agreement, Prince Pavlo would sign other documents and agreements that were intended to hide the illegal origin of some of the goods that were to be retroceded. This is, among others, an additional deed dated March 20, 2007, which related to 12 properties, including Peles Palace, one dated April 4, 2007, which related to properties included in the royal domain of Balcic, one dated October 4, 2007 year, which concerned 11 real estate objects, agricultural and forest land, as well as buildings in Sinaia and Bucharest.

After the acquisition of the assets of Snagov Forest and Băneasa Farm, they were transferred by Prince Paul through sales contracts to Reciplia SRL at significantly reduced prices, concealing the illegal nature of the origin, and the respective company was sold to other persons. people without collecting any amount of money.

According to the prosecutor’s office, through the criminal activity carried out, it was possible to abuse the retrocession of the Snagov forest, causing damages to the Romanian state in the amount of 9,523,769 euros, as well as the royal farm Băneasa, and the Romanian state suffered damages. 135,874,800 euros. Both sums, totaling €145,398,569, also represent ill-gotten gains for Prince Paul, Remus Truica and his associates in the criminal group, DNA reports.

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