Romania’s Prince Paul arrested at Malta luxury resort

Prince Paul from Romania He continues to have problems with the law. The controversial European ‘royal’ was arrested last Sunday, April 28, at a luxury resort in Malta, where he had gone with his wife Lia Triff to attend a meeting of the Knights of the Order of St. John. The grandson of Charles II of Romania weighed european arrest warrant Since he was sentenced to three years and four months in prison in 2020, he fled the country before being arrested.

Paul Philip, known as Paul Lambrino, appeared before Magistrate Caroline Farrugia Frendo this Monday. Carlos Hohenzollern’s son has Romanian, British and French citizenship and faces multiple charges Influence peddling, money laundering and bribery.

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Notably, Lambrino was convicted by a Romanian court along with 17 other defendants. The controversial prince was found guilty of collaborating with a criminal gang to recover assets confiscated from the Romanian royal family by the communist regime after their ouster in 1947. Thus, prosecutors ruled that Shahi had no rights to those properties. Approximate loss caused to properties and state 145 million euros.

Paul Lambrino was detained in France last November, following a European arrest warrant issued in December 2020, but the court refused to extradite him to Romania, finding that there were “violations of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the Union There was a real risk of.” European”, as the prince’s defense has argued that he is a victim of political persecution.

In his statement before the magistrate, Paul Lambrino identified himself as Paul of Romania and claimed to live in Paris. When asked about his profession, his lawyers told the court that He doesn’t have a job because he “belongs to royalty.” However, the accused clarified that he works with a foundation.

The prince has been assisted by lawyers Jason Azzopardi and Chris Buscitta, who have reportedly defended himself political persecution His client is the victim, the court was presented with the opinion of the French justice and several reports that question the functioning of the Romanian justice in this case.

Although the prosecution has agreed to study the documents provided by the defense, Paul-Philippe’s bail request has been denied due to the seriousness of the charges and this is a case that already has a final sentence. It is done.

Lambrino’s defense calls the European arrest warrant “nonsense” and assures that the prince is “More than willing” to bail. And go to the court every day to sign. “Prison is not the place for this man,” said lawyer Azzopardi.