The former leader of the Democratic Party of Moldova, Vladimir Plahotnjuk, has been arrested in Greece, according to an official statement from the Moldovan police.

“A short while ago, the official Interpol delegation in Athens informed us that two Moldovan citizens have been arrested. One of them is Vladimir Plahotnik,” the statement said. The head of the National Police, Viorel Chernauceanu, confirmed that the arrest took place on Tuesday morning, around 04:30. “The two people were passing through Greece, bound for Dubai,” the official told TV8. Chernauceanu did not reveal the identity of the other person, but sources cited by TV8 claim that it is former Democratic Party MP Konstantin Tsouchou.

Vladimir Plakhotnjuk left Moldova in June 2019 after losing power. Subsequently, an arrest warrant was issued against him for legalization of proceeds of illegal activities. A scandal through which over $1 billion was siphoned from Moldova’s banking system between 2013 and 2015.

Although Plahotnik’s lawyers have denied the charges, authorities have managed to seize several assets, including a villa in Switzerland and a holiday home in the Alps.

On February 7, 2025, Plahotnjuk was placed back on an international wanted list after Interpol reconsidered an earlier denial. At the end of the month, the fugitive oligarch was spotted at a luxury hotel in Dubai, but his arrest has only just taken place as he was once again trying to reach the Emirates.

However, Moldovan prosecutors have several cases on their table in which the former politician, who once had enormous influence in Moldovan politics and business circles, is accused of large-scale fraud and money laundering, creating and leading a criminal organization, illicit enrichment, abuse of power, active corruption and forgery of public documents.