A Moldovan oligarch and former senior politician has been extradited from Greece accused of involvement in the theft of $1bn (£748m).
Vladimir Plahotniuc, 59, was flown from Athens to Chisinau on Thursday morning and then taken to a detention centre in Moldova's capital, local officials said.
The tycoon, who faces several long-standing criminal cases in Moldova, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has vowed to prove his innocence.
His extradition comes just before Sunday's parliamentary elections, with President Maia Sandu warning that Moldova's independence and European future are at stake due to external pressures.
Plahotniuc fled Moldova in 2019 when his Democratic Party was voted out of power. Upon his arrival in Moldova, he was escorted by police and Interpol officials.
In a post on social media, President Sandu remarked: If you don't give up when it's hard… even criminals who seemed invincible come to justice. However, his lawyer criticized the pro-EU government's actions as attempts to manipulate the political landscape ahead of the elections.
The oligarch is one of the key suspects in a notorious case where $1 billion disappeared from three Moldovan banks in 2014, an amount that constituted over 10% of the nation's GDP at the time.
The extradition comes as Moldova is preparing for elections that could pivot the nation towards more European integration or back towards Russian influence. President Sandu has accused Moscow of attempting to destabilize the country with disinformation campaigns and financial support to opposition parties.
Amid these tensions, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has cautioned that Europe cannot afford to lose Moldova to Russian influence, referencing previous failures to prevent Russia from advancing its interests in neighboring countries.
As the political landscape becomes increasingly complex, the ramifications of Plahotniuc's return and the upcoming elections are keenly observed by both local and international entities.
