Latest news with #Moldova
Reuters
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Moldova's pro-Russian parties unite to press for September election win
CHISINAU, July 22 (Reuters) - Four pro-Russian parties in Moldova said on Tuesday they would form a bloc in order to press for victory in September's parliamentary election and oust the current government committed to seeking European Union membership by 2030. The vote, scheduled for September 28, could see President Maia Sandu's Party of Action and Solidarity unable to keep a majority in the assembly in the ex-Soviet state lying between Ukraine and Romania. The bloc brings together the Party of Socialists, headed by former president Igor Dodon, the Heart of Moldova and Future of Moldova parties, as well as the Communist Party. "We are in favour of re-establishing strategic ties with Russia. We want peace, not war ... Our bloc will put an end to foreign interests and NATO," Dodon told a press conference as he introduced the new union. Sandu, who has denounced Russia's invasion of Ukraine and accuses the Kremlin of trying to destabilise Moldova, won re-election last year by a razor-thin margin over a Socialist challenger. And a referendum asking voters to back the drive for EU membership only just cleared a 50% majority. Parliament Chairman Igor Grosu, who also leads Sandu's Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS), dismissed the left-wing bloc as a Kremlin invention. "Tired politicians who have swapped places in power and kept Moldova in poverty and a grey zone have been hauled out of mothballs at the Kremlin's behest," Grosu wrote on social media. "What unites all these worn-out politicians? The same sack of money and the same boss behind it. We must keep Moldova on the same path into the European Union." On July 19, Moldova's Central Election Commission refused to register the pro-Russian Victory bloc, formed in 2024 and backed by pro-Kremlin fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, for the vote on grounds of violating electoral financing laws. Moldovan officials have said that Shor has played a leading role in Russian-backed interference aimed at derailing Moldova's EU course. Shor denied the allegations and dismissed the decision as absurd. A poll published last week credited Sandu's PAS with 27.4% of voting intentions ahead of the election, compared to 10.4% for the opposition Socialists and 6.2% for the Victory bloc.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Greek police arrest Moldovan tycoon Plahotniuc on Interpol notice
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)
Reuters
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Reuters
Greek police arrest Moldovan tycoon Plahotniuc on Interpol notice
ATHENS, July 22 (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.
Arab News
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Arab News
Fugitive Moldovan oligarch implicated in $1 billion bank fraud detained in Greece
CHISINAU: A fugitive Moldovan oligarch implicated in a $1 billion bank fraud and other illicit schemes was detained Tuesday in Greece, Moldova's national police said. Vladimir Plahotniuc fled Moldova in 2019 as he faced a series of corruption charges including allegations of complicity in a scheme that led to $1 billion disappearing from a Moldovan bank in 2014, which at the time was equivalent to about an eighth of Moldova's annual GDP. Plahotniuc has denied any wrongdoing. Moldovan police said in a statement they were informed by Interpol's office in Athens that two Moldovan citizens had been detained, including Plahotniuc, who was placed on Interpol's international wanted list in February. Authorities did not name the other detainee. The Greek police unit tackling organized crime said Interpol was seeking Plahotniuc on suspicion of participating in a criminal organization, fraud and money laundering. Moldova's Ministry of Justice and Prosecutor's Office are in the process of exchanging information to begin seeking extradition of Plahotniuc and the other detainee, a government official told The Associated Press. Plahotniuc, one of Moldova's wealthiest men, fled to the US from Moldova in June 2019 after failing to form a government with his Democratic Party. The US declared him persona non grata in 2020 and his whereabouts were unknown for years. The powerful businessman and politician was added to a US State Department sanctions list in 2022 for alleged corruption. The charges included controlling the country's law enforcement to target political and business rivals and meddling in Moldova's elections. He was added to a UK sanctions list in 2022 and barred from entering the country. His assets were frozen in the UK and its overseas territories.
CTV News
12 hours ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Fugitive Moldovan oligarch implicated in US$1B bank fraud detained in Greece
CHISINAU, Moldova — A fugitive Moldovan oligarch implicated in a US$1 billion bank fraud and other illicit schemes was detained Tuesday in Greece, Moldova's national police said. Vladimir Plahotniuc fled Moldova in 2019 as he faced a series of corruption charges including allegations of complicity in a scheme that led to $1 billion disappearing from a Moldovan bank in 2014, which at the time was equivalent to about an eighth of Moldova's annual GDP. Plahotniuc has denied any wrongdoing. Moldovan police said in a statement they were informed by Interpol's office in Athens that two Moldovan citizens had been detained, including Plahotniuc, who was placed on Interpol's international wanted list in February. Authorities did not name the other detainee. The Greek police unit tackling organized crime said Interpol was seeking Plahotniuc on suspicion of participating in a criminal organization, fraud and money laundering. Moldova's Ministry of Justice and Prosecutor's Office are in the process of exchanging information to begin seeking extradition of Plahotniuc and the other detainee, a government official told The Associated Press. Plahotniuc, one of Moldova's wealthiest men, fled to the U.S. from Moldova in June 2019 after failing to form a government with his Democratic Party. The U.S. declared him persona non grata in 2020 and his whereabouts were unknown for years. The powerful businessman and politician was added to a U.S. State Department sanctions list in 2022 for alleged corruption. The charges included controlling the country's law enforcement to target political and business rivals and meddling in Moldova's elections. He was added to a U.K. sanctions list in 2022 and barred from entering the country. His assets were frozen in the U.K. and its overseas territories.
