Former Moldovan justice minister charged with fraud after UAE to France extradition
Vitalie Pirlog was arrested last month in the UAE at the request of French authorities who asked for a red notice to be issued against him by Interpol, state news agency Wam reported at the time.
He was extradited by the UAE to France, where he was charged last week with offences including fraud as part of an organised gang, use of a false administrative document to secure impunity for the perpetrator of a crime, passive influence peddling of a foreign public official, active bribery as part of an organised gang of a foreign public official, and evading arrest or search of a criminal.
'The National Financial Prosecutor's Office thanks all the UAE authorities who intervened in the execution of this extradition request: this surrender represents a particularly important step in the progress of this investigation,' said a statement from French authorities.
In addition to previously being his country's justice minister, Mr Pirlog also performed a senior role at Interpol, where he served as the chairman of the Interpol Commission for the Control of Files.
'The arrest was carried out under continuing co-ordination with international and regional partners, including law enforcement agencies and global organisations, as part of broader efforts to ensure community safety and international security,' Wam stated at the time of Mr Pirlog's arrest in the UAE.
'French authorities commended the professionalism and determination of the UAE Ministry of Interior, stating that such co-ordinated action underscores the importance of international co-operation in combating transnational crime.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
5 hours ago
- The National
US and EU strike an 'across the board' agreement on tariffs
US President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday they had reached a deal to end a transatlantic tariff dispute, averting the risk of a full-scale trade war. Mr Trump and Ms Von der Leyen held private talks at one of Mr Trump's golf courses in Scotland and later announced what the US President called an 'across-the-board' agreement. The breakthrough comes just days before an August 1 deadline for the European Union to strike a deal with Washington or face a sweeping 30 per cent US tariff on EU goods. 'We have reached a deal. It's a good deal for everybody,' Mr Trump told reporters. Mr Trump said the deal involved a baseline levy of 15 per cent on EU exports to the United States, the same level secured by Japan, including for the bloc's crucial auto sector, which is currently being taxed at 25 per cent. 'We are agreeing that the tariff straight across, for cars and everything else, will be a straight across tariff of 15 per cent,' he added. Mr Trump also said the bloc had agreed to purchase "$750 billion worth of energy' from the United States, as well as $600 billion more in additional investments in the country. Negotiating on behalf of the EU's 27 countries, Ms Von der Leyen's European Commission had been pushing hard to salvage a trading relationship worth an annual $1.9 trillion in goods and services. 'It's a good deal,' the EU chief told reporters, sitting alongside Mr Trump following their hour-long talks. 'It will bring stability. It will bring predictability. That's very important for our businesses on both sides of the Atlantic,' she said. The EU has been hit by multiple waves of tariffs since Mr Trump reclaimed the White House. It is currently subject to a 25 per cent levy on cars, 50 per cent on steel and aluminium, and an across-the-board tariff of 10 per cent, which Washington threatens to hike to 30 per cent in a no-deal scenario. Brussels has been focused on getting a deal to avoid sweeping tariffs that would further harm its sluggish economy with retaliation held out as a last resort.
Khaleej Times
8 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
Dubai: Accident on E311 near Airport Road exit; motorists warned
Dubai Police issued a traffic advisory on Sunday (July 27) following an accident on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, also known as E311. In a social media post, the authority said the accident occurred on E311 heading towards Abu Dhabi after the Airport Road exit. Details about the accident itself, including the number of vehicles involved or any potential injuries, were not immediately released.
Khaleej Times
9 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
UAE: Visa waiver for some Pakistani passport holders comes into effect at all airports
The UAE and Pakistan have activated a visa waiver for diplomatic and official passport holders, said Ishaq Dar, deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Pakistan. In a statement on social media platform X, Dar said he met Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs earlier this week, where he was informed that the visa waiver has come into effect from July 25, 2025. The two countries signed a visa exemption agreement for diplomatic and official passports in the last week of July during the 12th session of the Pakistan-UAE Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) in Abu Dhabi. "In my meeting at Abu Dhabi on June 24, 2025, with my brother Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of UAE, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, we agreed mutual visa waivers on diplomatic and official passports between our two brotherly countries and we both signed a Memorandum of Understanding to make this arrangement effective and operative after 30 days of the signing of the said MoU. "I am pleased to confirm that I have been informed by the UAE authorities that the visa waiver for diplomatic and official Pakistani passports entering the UAE has been activated, effective July 25, 2025, at all UAE airports,' Dar said. On the reciprocal basis, he added that similar arrangements have also been activated for UAE nationals at all Pakistani airports. The UAE and Pakistan have close diplomatic, cultural and trade ties. There are over 1.7 million Pakistanis living and working in the UAE. In addition, hundreds of thousands of tourists from Pakistan visit the Gulf country every year. Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has visited the UAE numerous times ever since he took office. Importantly, this waiver is only for diplomatic and official passport holders and it is not applicable for ordinary passports.
