A Moldovan oligarch and former senior politician has been extradited from Greece accused of involvement in the theft of $1 billion (£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-running criminal cases in Moldova, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has vowed to prove his innocence.
His extradition comes just days before Sunday's parliamentary elections, with President Maia Sandu warning that Moldova's independence and European future are in danger due to efforts by Russia to foment violence and spread disinformation.
Vladimir Plahotniuc fled Moldova in 2019, when his Democratic Party was voted out of power.
On Thursday morning, he was seen being escorted from the plane he arrived in by Moldovan police and Interpol officials.
In a post on social media, President Sandu wrote: If you don't give up when it's hard and keep fighting - the whole society keeps fighting - even criminals who seemed invincible come to justice.\
His lawyer, Lucian Rogac, accused Sandu's pro-EU government of turning his client's extradition into a tasteless political spectacle ahead of the key elections.
The tycoon is one of the main suspects in the disappearance of $1 billion from three Moldovan banks in 2014 - a case known as the theft of the century, at the time worth more than 10% of Moldova's gross domestic product.
His extradition comes as the impoverished country between Romania and Ukraine prepares for elections that will determine whether Moldova continues its integration with the EU or returns to Russia's political influence.
Earlier this week, Sandu accused Moscow of pouring hundreds of millions of euros into Moldova to stoke violence and spread misinformation.
Speaking at the UN's General Assembly in New York, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized the importance of not losing Moldova to Russian influence.
