In Moldova, officials suspected of having been paid to erase Interpol red notices of fugitives linked to organized crime

French magistrates from the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office went to this Eastern European country on Tuesday to participate in searches carried out in particular with the FBI.

Multi-million dollar bribes. The Moldovan anti-corruption justice system, accompanied by French and American investigators, launched a vast raid on Tuesday June 4 targeting civil servants in Moldova. They are suspected of having been paid to erase or block Interpol red notices targeting fugitives linked to organized crime, in particular drug trafficking.

“A group of people of different nationalities are suspected of having implemented a corruption scheme to allow wanted persons to block and erase red notices targeting them, by paying bribes to agents public, particularly in Moldova”clarified the prosecutor of the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office (PNF), Jean-François Bohnert, in a press release. Among these fugitives are “some big fish”including French people or individuals wanted by France, a source close to the matter told franceinfo.

Interpol Red Notices are issued following an arrest warrant or a decision taken by the judicial authorities of one of the 196 member countries. They are sent to law enforcement agencies around the world to locate a wanted individual. For example, Interpol issued, at the request of France, a red notice against Mohamed Amra, the detainee who escaped during a transfer and a fatal shooting at a toll booth in the Eure on May 14. In total, 70,000 people are the subject of a notice.

Interpol, whose headquarters is in Lyon, alerted the French judicial authorities of the existence of this Moldovan trail. “Our robust monitoring systems have identified suspicious activity in relation to a small number of red notices, explains the organization on its site. We took immediate action, including reporting the issue to the law enforcement authorities of our host country, France.”

Based on the Interpol report, the PNF opened an investigation last August entrusted to the judicial police and the Central Anti-Corruption Office (OCLCIFF). In this context, cooperation was initiated with the Moldovan anti-corruption justice system and the two countries signed a joint investigation team agreement in April, specifies the French prosecutor in his press release.

The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was involved in the investigations to provide technical support, and participated in the searches carried out on Tuesday in Moldova. They targeted twelve people, mainly civil servants linked to the local Interpol, according to a source close to the case at franceinfo. Mobile phones, computers and documents were seized and four people placed in police custody for up to 72 hours. Investigations must now continue in order to identify the sponsors behind this corruption.