A Moldovan oligarch suspected of Russian interference arrived in Chisinau today after being extradited from Greece, where he was arrested in July.
Vladimir Plahotniuc has been on the run since 2019 due to corruption charges.
He was arrested at the end of July at Athens airport on a "red notice" through Interpol, accused of participating in a criminal organization, fraud and money laundering.
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Plahotniuc, 59, was trying to reach Dubai, according to Moldovan authorities.
The former MP and founder of the Democratic Party, accused of secretly controlling key institutions in the country, fled Moldova in 2019 while under investigation in several cases.
He is particularly accused of his role in a massive corruption scandal that involved the disappearance of a billion dollars from the coffers of three domestic banks, equivalent to 15 percent of Moldova's annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
In mid-July, the European Union announced sanctions against him and six other pro-Russian individuals accused of trying to destabilize Moldova ahead of parliamentary elections on Sunday, September 28, crucial to the European future of the country, which is sandwiched between Ukraine and Romania.
Plahotniuc, who is already the target of US and British measures, is linked to another influential oligarch and fugitive, Ilan Shor, who the authorities have accused of interfering in last year's presidential election campaign from Russia, where he now lives, and in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
The arrest of Vladimir Plahotniuc is "a great victory for justice, but also for the citizens of Moldova," analysts said.
"He is rightly considered the biggest criminal in the history of the Republic of Moldova," local analysts state, adding that Plahotniuc is suspected of being "involved in recent Russian plans to destabilize Moldova."
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