A Moldovan oligarch and former politician, Vladimir Plahognuk, was issued by Greece back to his country, charged with the theft of 748,000,000 euros.

The 59 -year -old man was transported by air from Athens to Chisinau on Thursday morning and then led to a detention center in the Moldovan capital.

The oligarch, who faces many long -term criminal cases in Moldova, has repeatedly denied any charges and has committed to prove his innocence. It is issued a few days before Sunday’s parliamentary elections, with the president Maya To warn that independence and the European future of Moldova are at risk of Russia’s efforts to motivate violence and spread misinformation.

Plahotnuk had left Moldova in 2019, when the Democratic Party lost power.

On Thursday morning, he saw him accompanied by Moldovan police officers and interpol officials when he was removed from the plane, and then boarded a car that transported him away from the airport.

In a post on social media, President Maya Sandu wrote:

“If you do not give up when it is difficult and continue to fight, the whole society continues to fight, and even the criminals who seemed invincible reach justice.”

His lawyer, Lucian Rogats, accused the Santu -European government of turning his client to “a stupid political spectacle” before the critical elections.

He added that his client’s fundamental rights were violated during the issuance process, which began on July 22 with his arrest at Athens Airport at the request of Moldova.

Plahotnuk is one of the main suspects in the case of the disappearance of $ 1 billion by three Moldovan banks in 2014, known as ‘Theft of the century’.

At that time, the amount corresponded to more than 10% of Moldova GDP.

It is published while the country, between Romania and Ukraine, is preparing for the September 28 elections, which will determine whether Moldova continues its integration into the EU or returning to Russia’s influence.

Earlier this week, Sandu accused Moscow of “threw hundreds of millions of euros»In Moldova to cause violence, to spread misinformation and fear.

The President stressed:

“Kremlin believes we are for sale. That we are too young to resist … but Moldova is our home. And our house is not sold“

The BBC recently revealed data on a network with ties with Moscow and fugitive businessman Ilan Sor, who worked to disseminate misinformation.

A secret reporter found people who were paid to publish false content on the internet, aiming to undermine the ruling party before the election. These posts had millions of views. Sor has not responded to a request for an commentary on the BBC.

Ukraine President Volodimir Zelenski, speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York, warned that Europe could not lose Moldova on Russia’s influence after failing to save Georgia and Belarus from Moscow.

Zelenski said the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, would continue to expand and deepen the war if not stopped.

At the same time, the pro -Russian parties in Moldova accused Sandu of trying to intimidate them and influence the vote. They also argue that its government is not moving enough to combat corruption.

The Russian SVR Foreign Intelligence Service has accused European countries this week of “opening” Sunday’s “open forgery”, with the aim of provoking demonstrations.

SVR warned that the EU could proceed with a “armed invasion and de facto occupation” of Moldova, falsely claiming to develop troops.

Moldova declared its independence after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, but has a significant Russian population. The separated area of ​​Moscow, supported by Moscow, still hosts Russian troops.