French court definitively rejects appeal filed by Paul of Romania against extradition

France’s Court of Cassation has definitively rejected the appeal filed by Paul of Romania against his extradition to Romania for the execution of his jail sentence.

The ruling, given on Wednesday, July 29, makes final the “decision to execute the European arrest warrant and to surrender the requested person to Romania,” according to the Romanian Ministry of Justice, cited by News.ro.

“The decision of the French supreme court reconfirms the effective judicial cooperation between Romania and the French Republic and the common commitment of the two states to applying the principles of the rule of law and respecting the obligations assumed within the European mechanisms of judicial cooperation. At the same time, this ruling confirms the proper functioning of the European arrest warrant, an important instrument of judicial cooperation in criminal matters at the level of the European Union,” the statement of the Ministry of Justice added.

Former justice minister Radu Marinescu weighed in on the ruling, arguing that it is a remarkable success for the Romanian judicial authorities.

“After several successive refusals of surrender, we persevered, the CJEU was notified and ruled in Romania’s favor, we returned with the surrender request, and in the end we triumphed definitively,” the former minister said.

He added that Paul of Romania joins the list of well-known convicted or criminally investigated persons brought to Romania.

On June 19, the Ministry of Justice announced that the judicial authorities in Paris had ordered the immediate surrender of Paul of Romania to the Romanian authorities, but the decision was not final.

Paul, the descendant of King Carol II, one of Romania’s last kings, is accused of having collaborated with a gang of fraudsters, beginning in 2006, in order to recover properties he claimed as an heir to the royal family. He was sentenced to three years and four months in prison for influence peddling and complicity in 2020, along with 17 others. The damage caused to the Romanian state was estimated to be at least EUR 145 million.

The Paris Court of Appeal rejected the first extradition request in November 2023, considering that the right to a fair trial had not been respected, given the irregularities found in the oath-taking of two of the three judges who convicted him.

Romanian authorities issued a new arrest warrant against the prince in January 2025, based on the ruling of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) of July 29, 2024, delivered following a preliminary reference request. The CJEU considered that the decision of the French judiciary was “contrary to the principle of mutual trust” between European countries, exercising “excessive control” over the functioning of the Romanian judicial system.

Paul of Romania was arrested at his residence in Paris and imprisoned on April 7, 2025, and was subsequently placed under judicial supervision. Paul’s lawyer denounced “the greatest political scandal ever experienced by a royal family,” in connection with the “inheritance dispute.”

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos|Octav Ganea) ...