Moldovan police stage raids to uncover plot aimed at blocking Interpol

Police in Moldova, aided by French and U.S. colleagues, raided dozens of premises on Tuesday as part of an investigation into an alleged plot to block the actions of Interpol against fugitive criminals.
Veronica Dragalin, the country’s top anti-corruption prosecutor, told a news conference the operation was launched on the basis of information provided last month by France’s financial prosecutor acting at the behest of Interpol.
She said, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation was also involved, as were British officials.
Thirty-three premises were searched, Dragalin said, digital equipment seized and four people detained for 72 hours.
Dragalin told reporters, “This morning, anti-corruption prosecutors conducted searches as part of a joint investigation by Moldova and France, with assistance from the FBI in connection with a corruption scheme.”
She said that evidence from the investigation showed that criminal groups with links in Russia, Ukraine and other countries allegedly bribed individuals in exchange for help in removing “red notices” from Interpol’s data base.
Investigators, she said, believed that several million dollars were paid out to civil servants to prevent such notices being issued about individuals who may have taken refuge in Moldova or elsewhere.