The Court of Appeal of Malta scrapped the ruling of a lower court and issued a final decision in which it rejected the extradition of Paul of Romania.

He is wanted in the country to serve a 40-month jail sentence in the case related to the illegal restitution of a large plot of land in the northern part of Bucharest.

The request formulated by Romania for the extradition was rejected by the Court of Appeal after it found a "real and personal risk" of violation of his fundamental rights,  Profit reported, quoting The Times of Malta.

Romania's minister of Justice Alina Gorghiu stated that the decision of the Maltese court is "outrageous" and blatantly violates a decision of the Court of Justice of the European Union.

"There is an appeal procedure provided by the constitutional court in Malta, which we will continue to pursue. I remind you, the Brașov Court of Appeal issued the European arrest warrant on December 17, 2020, for this fugitive in order to serve the final sentence of three years and four months in prison for buying influence and complicity in abuse of office," the minister of Justice added.

(Photo: Octav Ganea/ Inquam Photos)

iulian@romania-insider.com