Vladimir Plahotniuc, former leader of Moldova’s Democratic Party (PDM), was detained at Athens International Airport on July 22 while attempting to travel to Dubai, Naftemporiki reported. according to reports in the Greek media.

Plahotniuc has been under international investigation for his alleged involvement in Moldova’s infamous $1bn bank fraud scandal. He was widely seen as the most influential figure in the country in 2016-2019. 

Greek police acted on an Interpol red notice issued on February 7 after years of lobbying by Moldovan authorities to place the businessman on the international wanted list. Euronews Greece reported that Plahotniuc had recently been living in a villa in southern Athens.

Plahotniuc fled Moldova in June 2019, shortly after the PDM lost power to a coalition led by the Party of Action and Solidarity and the Socialist Party. Although he initially resided in the United States, his presence there was deemed undesirable in January 2020. He subsequently disappeared from public view, with unconfirmed reports placing him in Northern Cyprus.

Plahotniuc has been under trial in absentia since July 2023 for his role in the bank fraud scheme, widely referred to as the “$1bn bank theft”. The Moldovan Prosecutor General’s Office has attributed at least $39mn and €3.5mn to him in connection to this case. The funds were allegedly channelled through companies linked to Ilan Shor, the key figure identified as the main visible beneficiary of the fraud.

The Moldovan authorities have issued three separate arrest warrants against Plahotniuc. The first, filed in October 2019, involves charges of money laundering and is the basis of the Interpol notice. The second relates to the illicit purchase of shares in several Moldovan financial institutions, originally investigated in Romania and later transferred to Moldova in 2018. The third case concerns alleged fraud at state-run scrap metal dealer Metalferos, leading to another arrest warrant in July 2022.

Former Moldovan MP Constantin Tsutsu, reportedly a close associate of Plahotniuc, was also detained at the airport. Russian authorities had previously requested his arrest over suspected links to an international drug trafficking network.

The Moldovan Ministry of Justice is now expected to file a formal extradition request to Greek authorities. According to Greek law, the courts will determine whether the extradition can proceed.