Paul de România to be extradited after French Court of Cassation rejects final appeal
France's highest court has cleared the way for the extradition of Paul de România, ending a six-year pursuit by Romanian authorities after his 2020 conviction in a 145-million-euro fraud case.
Final appeal rejected
The French Court of Cassation rejected Paul de România's appeal on 29 July 2026, making his extradition to Romania definitive. The decision upholds a June ruling by the Paris Court of Appeal that ordered his immediate surrender to Romanian authorities. The Romanian Ministry of Justice confirmed the outcome, stating that the ruling "reconfirms the efficient 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."
The decision of the French supreme court reconfirms the efficient judicial cooperation between Romania and the French Republic and the common commitment of the two states for applying the principles of the rule of law and respecting the obligations assumed within the European mechanisms of judicial cooperation.
The Băneasa Farm conviction
Paul de România, aged 77 or 78 depending on the source, is a descendant of King Carol II. He was definitively sentenced in December 2020 to three years and four months in prison for influence peddling and complicity. Prosecutors said that between 2006 and 2013 he was part of a group that sought to obtain properties claimed without right, including the Royal Farm Băneasa and the Snagov Forest. The damage to the Romanian state was estimated at approximately 145 million euros, and 18 people were convicted in the case.
A six-year extradition saga
Romanian authorities issued the first European arrest warrant in December 2020, one day after the conviction. Paul de România had already left the country before the final sentence. The Paris Court of Appeal refused the first extradition request in November 2023, ruling that the right to a fair trial had not been respected because of irregularities in the oath taken by two of the three judges who convicted him. In April 2024 he was caught in Malta while attending an official ceremony, but Maltese justice also refused to surrender him.
This is an absolutely unprecedented procedural situation.
The turning point came on 29 July 2024, when the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that the French refusal was "contrary to the principle of mutual trust" between EU countries and exercised "excessive control" over the Romanian judicial system. Romania issued a new arrest warrant in January 2025, and the Paris Court of Appeal finally ordered surrender on 18 June 2026.
- Paul de România sentenced to 3 years and 4 months for influence peddling and complicity; first European arrest warrant issued the next day.
- Paris Court of Appeal refuses first extradition request, citing irregularities in the oath of two judges.
- Paul de România arrested in Malta while attending an official ceremony; Maltese justice refuses to surrender him.
- CJEU rules that France's refusal was contrary to the principle of mutual trust, exercising excessive control over the Romanian judicial system.
- Romanian authorities issue a new European arrest warrant on the same grounds.
- Paris Court of Appeal orders immediate surrender of Paul de România to Romanian authorities.
- French Court of Cassation definitively rejects his appeal; extradition becomes final.
Reactions
Former Justice Minister Radu Marinescu announced the Cassation Court's decision on Facebook, calling it a success of Romanian judicial authorities and the team that worked on international judicial cooperation during his mandate.
After several successive refusals of surrender we persevered, the CJEU was seized and ruled in Romania's favour, we returned with the surrender request and in the end we triumphed definitively! Paul de România joins the gallery of notorious convicts or indicted persons brought to Romania during my mandate.
What happens next
With the final legal obstacle removed, Romanian police are expected to send an escort to Paris in the coming days to bring Paul de România to Bucharest. He will then begin serving his three-year, four-month sentence. The case closes one of the most publicised international judicial cooperation files involving Romania.
