Simon Leviev, better known globally as the “Tinder Swindler,” after the eponymous Netflix documentary, walked out of Kutaisi Prison last week after a sudden legal turn that caught even the closest observers by surprise. For nearly two months, the 35-year-old Israeli had been held in Georgian custody on the basis of an Interpol Red Notice issued by Germany, where he was wanted in connection with an alleged €50,000 fraud case. But the case that once looked like an inevitable extradition battle collapsed almost overnight when German authorities quietly withdrew their request.
Leviev had been detained at Batumi Airport in September upon arrival. From that moment, his situation appeared straightforward: a Red Notice, an active German file, a suspect with a history of financial offenses, and a pending extradition process. Yet he staunchly denied any wrongdoing from day one of his detention.
In his written note from Kutaisi Prison, which his lawyers later made public, he insisted that “the allegations are false” and that his name had become “a magnet for old cases, with no evidence.” He wrote that German authorities were “recycling accusations,” and insisted, “I have never committed any crime in Germany.”
His legal team, consisting of Mariam Kublashvili and Sharon Nahari, pursued an aggressive strategy from the outset, challenging both the substance and the procedure of the German submission. They repeatedly pressed for clarity on the strength of the evidence and the durability of the claims. According to them, the German file suffered from “significant gaps,” lacked updated confirmation from prosecutors, and failed to meet the threshold required under Georgia’s extradition standards.
Ultimately, the German prosecution opted to pull back its request entirely, effectively nullifying the grounds for holding Leviev in custody.
The reaction inside the prison was swift: within hours, Leviev was released without bail, without movement restrictions, and without any form of legal restraint on his travel. In brief remarks after his release, he told Georgian reporters that he was “relieved that justice prevailed.” “I trusted my lawyers, and in the end, the truth won,” he said, before leaving the courthouse.
Both of his lawyers were keen to stress that the decision was based not on loopholes or technicalities, but on the absence of substantiated grounds for extradition. The German authorities, they argued, simply could not provide the level of evidentiary backing required for the process to continue — and the Georgian court treated the matter accordingly.
The speed and clarity of the release caught attention in Georgia’s legal circles. It is unusual for a high-profile international case, amplified by a hit Netflix documentary and extensive media scrutiny, to resolve without prolonged hearings or contested appeals. Yet Leviev’s lawyers performed a minor legal miracle, managing to turn what initially looked like an inevitable transfer into a clean victory, using all available legal frameworks exactly as intended. A senior Georgian defense attorney, speaking off the record, described the strategy as “uncompromising, precise and very well-coordinated.”
Since his release, Leviev has not been placed under monitoring, nor was he barred from leaving the country. With the German request withdrawn, the Red Notice no longer functions as an active trigger within the international system. For the moment, he is simply a free man. He departed Georgia the following week, returning to his home country.
What comes next for Simon Leviev is uncertain. His notoriety precedes him, but notoriety alone does not substitute for evidence in a court of law — a principle his lawyers leaned on effectively throughout the process. In Georgia, at least, the legal chapter is closed. The extradition file collapsed, the notice was withdrawn, and the doors of Kutaisi Prison closed behind him without a single condition attached.
By Team GT
