Moldovan oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc, the most powerful man in the Eastern European country from 2014 to 2019, was arrested at Eleftherios Venizelos Airport just before boarding a flight to Dubai. A red notice from Interpol was pending against him for his involvement in a €1 billion embezzlement scandal.

Over the course of five years, Plahotniuc managed to siphon off this astronomical amount from Moldova’s banking system, which at the time accounted for 12% of the country’s GDP.

The former head of the Democratic Party held four different passports: Moldovan, Romanian, and Russian. In late March, the oligarch also acquired fake Mexican identification documents, obtained from a Mexican citizen using the name of a young Russian woman living in Dubai, Irina Ustina.

Since 2019, he had fled Moldova, initially escaping to Turkey. However, recently, he had been residing in Greece, specifically in an ultra-luxurious villa in the southern suburbs of Athens. According to reports, he was accompanied by Elizaveta Kuznetsova, Miss Moldova 2019.

Elizaveta Kuznetsova:

The Boxer-MP Who Was Also Arrested
Greek police also handcuffed a Moldovan boxer, Constantin Țuțu, who had also served as a former MP. A red notice from Russian authorities was pending against him for involvement in a criminal drug trafficking organization.

During their investigation, the police found a Greek identity card issued under false information in 2023 from the Exarchia Security Department. He also held a Greek passport and driver’s license.

In recent years, European authorities have confiscated a mansion in Switzerland and another in the French Alps.