ATHENS (Reuters) -Greek police have arrested a Moldovan tycoon and a former political leader wanted for allegedly participating in a criminal organisation, money laundering and fraud, police said on Tuesday.
Vladimir Plahotniuc, considered one of Moldova’s richest men and a former lawmaker, was arrested at the Athens airport on an Interpol notice on Monday evening. He has been accused in connection with a $1 billion fraud against Moldovan banks in 2014-2015, a case known locally as the “theft of the century”. He has denied wrongdoing.
Police also arrested former Moldovan lawmaker Constantin Tutu, 38, who is wanted by Russia for allegedly trafficking drugs internationally, police officials said. Both suspects had an Interpol red notice issued against them.
Moldova’s General Inspectorate of Police confirmed that Plahotniuc, who was the leader of the Democratic party from 2016-2019, and Tutu had been arrested. Plahotniuc, 59, is suspected to have fled Moldova in 2019.
Following a tip-off, Greek police launched an investigation which found that Plahotniuc was living with his partner in a luxurious villa in the southern suburbs of Athens. Tutu also lived in the same residence, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the confidentiality of the probe.
In 2023, the European Union imposed sanctions on seven people from Moldova, including Plahotniuc, for actions that it said destabilised and undermined the territorial integrity of Moldova and neighbouring Ukraine.
Since 2023, Plahotniuc has lived in 22 countries, changing residence regularly to avoid detection, the Greek police officials said.
The two men, carrying only backpacks, were arrested at the Athens airport after boarding a flight to Dubai. They will appear before a prosecutor on Wednesday to respond to charges.
Moldova is expected to request his extradition, the country’s General Prosecutor’s office said.
(Reporting by Yannis Souliotis in Athens; Additional reporting by Alexander Tanas in Chisinau and Ron Popeski; Writing by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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