Court approves extradition of Israeli crypto fraud suspect to Germany

Greek judges in Thessaloniki green-lighted on Wednesday the extradition of a 37-year-old Israeli national to Germany, where he is wanted in connection to an international cryptocurrency scam. 

The suspect had been arrested on August 24 at Thessaloniki’s international airport as he was preparing to board a flight bound for Larnaca, Cyprus.

Officers found a pending European arrest warrant issued against him by German prosecutors, according to which he is described as a leading member of a criminal network which defrauded Germans and other citizens in various European countries of an amount estimated at over of 1.4 million euros.

According to the police, members of the criminal ring placed phone calls and sent e-mails to unsuspecting victims urging them to invest large sums of money in various financial instruments, promising great profits. The funds transferred were distributed in a complex money laundering network that operated across Europe.

The suspect, father of three children, denied any involvement in the case, stressing that he is not the person the Germans are looking for. “My family will not get over any time soon the damage it has suffered,” he said.

The suspect may appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.