A Moldovan oligarch and former senior politician has been extradited from Greece accused of involvement in the theft of $1bn (£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 days before Sunday’s parliamentary elections, with President Maia Sandu warning that Moldova’s independence and European future are in danger because of attempts 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.
He was then put in a car and driven away from the airport.
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 lawyer also said his client’s “fundamental rights” were violated during the extradition process that started on 22 July with his arrest in Athens’ airport at Moldova’s request.
The tycoon is one of the main suspects in the disappearance of $1bn from three Moldovan banks in 2014 – a case known as the “theft of the century”.
At the time, the sum was reported to be worth more than 10% of Moldova’s gross domestic product.
His extradition comes as the impoverished country between Romania and Ukraine is preparing for 28 September 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 in a bid to stoke violence and spread disinformation and fear.
“The Kremlin believes we are all for sale. That we are too small to resist… But Moldova is our home. And our home is not for sale,” the president said.
The BBC has recently uncovered evidence of a network with ties to Moscow and fugitive Moldovan businessman Ilan Shor which has been working to spread disinformation.
An undercover reporter found people being paid to post fake content online, intended to undermine the governing party ahead of the vote. The posts have had millions of views. Shor has not responded to a BBC request for comment.
Speaking at the UN’s General Assembly in New York on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Europe could not afford to lose Moldova to Russian influence, after failing to save Georgia and Belarus from Moscow’s orbit.
Zelensky said that Russian President Vladimir Putin – who launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 – “will keep driving the war forward wider and deeper” if he was not stopped.
Meanwhile, Moldova’s pro-Russian parties have accused Sandu of trying to intimidate them – and sway the vote.
They also say her government is not going far enough in tackling widespread corruption.
Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service this week accused European countries of plotting the “blatant falsification” of the result on Sunday in order to provoke protests.
The SVR warned that the EU could mount “an armed incursion and de-facto occupation” of Moldova, falsely claiming that the EU was deploying troops.
Moldova declared its independence as the USSR collapsed in 1991, but it has a significant Russian-speaking population. The breakaway region of Transnistria, propped up by Moscow, is still home to a contingent of Russian troops.
Seven women d!ed while 11 others were injured during a protest in Lamurde Local Government Area of Adamawa State.
According to Daily Trust, the women were protesting what they termed delayed response by the military to calm tensions between Bachama and Chobo communities of the LGA, when the incident occurred on Monday, December 8, 2025.
The women, who were seen holding leaves blocked the movement of troops into the area, accusing security agencies of delayed responses and biased interventions in favour of the Chobo community.
However, during the confrontation, sources said the military allegedly fired shots into the crowd and four of the women d!ed on the spot, while three others d!ed in the hospital. It was further learnt that 11 others, who were injured are currently receiving treatment.
“They came out peacefully, carrying leaves, begging for security, instead, they were met with live gunfire.
“The wounded were rushed to Numan General Hospital, where medical officials say some remain in critical condition,” District Head of Gyawana, a community in Lamurde LGA, Chief Agoso Bamaiyi, said.
Meanwhile, Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has imposed a 24-hour curfew on Lamurde Local Government Area, following the incident.
The directive was announced on Monday in a statement issued by the Press Secretary to the Deputy Governor, Hussaini Hammangabdo, who confirmed that the governor has instructed security operatives to immediately move into the troubled communities
The statement said Fintiri had ordered security agencies to respond swiftly to the renewed crisis to re-establish stability and prevent further breakdown of law and order.
The Adamawa State Government has imposed a 24-hour curfew on Lamurde Local Government Area with immediate effect following a renewed communal clash that broke out on Sunday evening,” the statement read.
Hammangabdo said security agencies have been directed to move into the area and restore peace and order without delay.
The state government also appealed to residents of Lamurde to remain peaceful and cooperate with the deployed personnel as efforts intensify to contain the situation and avert additional violence.
The fresh violence erupted barely days after Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri brokered a fragile peace deal between the warring Chobo and Bachama groups, according to Dr. Jamila Suleiman, Executive Vice Chairperson of the Adamawa State Peace Commission
When contacted on phone, the police spokesman, Adamawa State Command, S.P. Suleiman Nguroje, confirmed that some people lost their lives and that the injured were taken to a hospital for treatmen
“Actually lives were lost. But for now, we cannot give the total number of people that lost their lives but the injured have been taken to a hospital for treatment,” he said.
Nguroje said that based on the reports he received in the morning, the incident centered within Rugange and neighbouring villages, down to Wadugo
Asked on the cause of the incident, the spokesman said police had been drafted to the area to investigate the root cause, so he will not pre-empt their finding
“I plead that we should give them the opportunity to come out with their findings on what must have triggered the conflict so as to make it known to the members of the public,” he added.
The Kogi State Government has said security operatives have intercepted a group of underage children trafficked into the state in what is suspected to be a covert recruitment attempt for banditry training.
The State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Kingsley Fanwo, who disclosed this in a statement on Tuesday, December 9, 2025 said some suspects linked to the trafficking operation were arrested.
“At about 1500hrs on December 5, 2025, eagle-eyed security operatives of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in Yagba Area Command, in collaboration with other security agencies in Isanlu, acting on credible intelligence from community hunters, intercepted a truck conveying 21 children aged between six and 17 years into Kogi State,” the commissioner stated.
He said initial investigations revealed that the children were moved from different northern states under suspicious circumstances by adults who could not provide legitimate justification for their movement.
“Several suspects linked to the trafficking operation have been arrested, including individuals who claimed they were transporting the children to establish an informal ‘Islamic school’ within Yagba East,” he said.
Fanwo added that further arrests were made as security operatives intensified surveillance in the area, uncovering additional persons allegedly connected to the movement of the minors.
“Some of the suspects were also found with items raising significant security concerns,” he said, adding that the rescued children had been transferred to the NSCDC State Command in Lokoja for detailed investigation and proper profiling of all persons involved.
He said Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo had directed the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development to take full custody of the underage victims, ensure their wellbeing and provide necessary psychosocial support pending the conclusion of investigations.
“Upon completion of profiling and verification, the children will be handed over to their respective state governments for further investigation and eventual reintegration with their families,” he noted.
The commissioner, however, said all individuals found culpable in the trafficking operation would be prosecuted in line with Kogi State’s child trafficking and child rights protection laws.
“The Kogi State Government reiterates its uncompromising stance against child trafficking, criminal infiltration and any form of security threat.
“The administration of Governor Ododo will continue to work closely with security agencies and local communities to safeguard every part of the state,” he added.
A 64-year-old man who worked as a “Santa for hire” in New Jersey, United States, has been arrested after authorities accused him of possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material, raising concerns over his repeated interactions with children during holiday events.
As reported by Daily Star on Tuesday, Mark Paulino, of Hamilton Township, was taken into custody on Monday and charged with possession and distribution of child sexual abuse materials, as well as endangering the welfare of a child.
According to Mercer County officials, the investigation began on 4 December 2025, when detectives were alerted to suspicious activity involving the alleged uploading of child pornography from a Hamilton Township residence.
The probe quickly identified Paulino, who had previously worked as a retired elementary school teacher, as the person involved.
Police said Paulino had presented himself online as a retired teacher and had recently performed as Santa Claus for photographs and private, corporate, and organisational events, a role that brought him into repeated contact with children.
“Because this role involved direct, repeated contact with children, detectives worked around the clock to secure a search warrant,” authorities said.
The warrant was executed on 5 December, during which police seized multiple items of evidentiary value, and Paulino was arrested without incident.
Prosecutors have since filed a motion to detain him pending trial, and the investigation is ongoing. Authorities are urging anyone with information to come forward.
