Latest news with #Prosecutor'sOffice
Euronews
a day ago
- Business
- Euronews
Moldovan oligarch accused of €850m bank fraud detained in Greece
A fugitive oligarch from Moldova accused of a $1 billion (€850 million) bank fraud and other illicit schemes was detained in Greece on Tuesday, Moldova's national police said. Vladimir Plahotniuc fled Moldova in 2019, as he faced a series of corruption charges, including allegations of complicity in a scheme that led to $1 billion disappearing from a Moldovan bank in 2014, which at the time was equivalent to around one-eighth of the country's annual GDP. Plahotniuc has denied any wrongdoing. Moldovan police said in a statement they were informed by Interpol's office in Athens that two Moldovan citizens had been detained, including Plahotniuc, who was placed on Interpol's international wanted list in February. Authorities did not name the other detainee. The Greek police unit tackling organised crime said Interpol was seeking Plahotniuc on suspicion of participating in a criminal organisation, fraud and money laundering. Moldova's Ministry of Justice and Prosecutor's Office are in the process of exchanging information to begin seeking extradition of Plahotniuc and the other detainee, a government official told AP. Plahotniuc, one of Moldova's wealthiest men, fled to the US from Moldova in June 2019 after failing to form a government with his Democratic Party. The US declared him persona non grata in 2020, and his whereabouts were unknown for years. The influential businessman and politician was added to a US State Department sanctions list in 2022 for alleged corruption. The charges included controlling the country's law enforcement to target political and business rivals and meddling in Moldova's elections. He was added to a UK sanctions list in 2022 and barred from entering the country. His assets were frozen in Britain and its overseas territories. Plahotniuc was accused of involvement in pro-Russian political campaigns and efforts to derail Moldova's pro-EU course. The news of his arrest is likely to be viewed positively by President Maia Sandu's camp and her Romanian and EU supporters ahead of September's crucial parliamentary elections, in which the Kremlin is already involved through proxies in massive disinformation and voter manipulation campaigns.
ITV News
15-07-2025
- Sport
- ITV News
Lamine Yamal could be investigated for reportedly hiring people with dwarfism at birthday party
Spain's Prosecutor's Office has been asked by the Ministry of Social Rights to investigate footballer Lamine Yamal, after he allegedly hired people with dwarfism "solely for entertainment" at his 18th birthday party. The Barcelona winger celebrated his birthday on Sunday, but the festivities have since been overshadowed in controversy. The Association of People with Achondroplasia and other Skeletal Dysplasias with Dwarfism (ADEE) has "publicly denounced" the hiring of people with dwarfism "as part of the entertainment". They announced they would launch legal action, saying Yamal's alleged actions "violate" current legislation and "ethical values". Following the filing of a legal complaint by the ADEE, the Ministry said the Director General for People with Disabilities has "asked the Prosecutor's Office to investigate to determine whether the law and, therefore, the rights of people with disabilities have been violated." In a statement, ADEE's President Carolina Puente said: 'It's unacceptable that in the 21st century, people with dwarfism continue to be used as entertainment at private parties, and even more serious when these incidents involve public figures like Lamine Yamal. 'When a person with social influence participates in these types of situations, the damage is even greater, because it conveys to society—especially to young people—that discrimination is acceptable. "We must eradicate the objectification of difference and educate people in respect and equity.' However, in an interview with Spanish radio station RAC1, one of those hired said they disagreed with the ADEE's response. Speaking anonymously, they said "no one disrespected us" and that they're "normal people, who do what we want, in an absolutely legal way". Yamal joined FC Barcelona in 2023, and became the youngest ever player to start in La Liga at just 16 years old. He also holds the record for being the youngest payer to score in a European Championship.
Civil.ge
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Civil.ge
Prosecutors Revive Gavrilov's Night Probe Citing 2024 ECtHR Ruling
The area in front of the parliament building in Tbilisi was cordoned off on July 11 in what prosecutors say are 'investigative actions' over the 2019 'Gavrilov's Night' rally dispersal, a year after the European Court on Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled on the matter. In May 2024, ECtHR ruled that authorities failed to properly investigate the incident, violating the procedural limb of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which prohibits torture. The renewed scrutiny, however, comes as Georgian Dream authorities turn up the heat on Giorgi Gakharia, the leader of the opposition For Georgia party, who served as interior minister during the dispersal before his promotion as prime minister the same year. 'In light of the Strasbourg court ruling and recommendations, and to ensure an effective investigation with the involvement of victims, investigative actions are being carried out on Rustaveli Avenue,' the Prosecutor's Office said in a July 11 statement . Officers temporarily blocked the avenue for investigative activities, which the Prosecutor's office added aim to 'fully reconstruct the crime scene and identify alleged offenders.' The Prosecutor's Office also noted that Georgia 'was instructed to conduct specific investigative steps, including those involving victims, to determine whether the Interior Ministry's operation was properly planned and whether excessive force was used.' 240 people, including 80 police officers and over 30 journalists, including 's Guram Muradov, were injured during the June 20-21, 2019, violent dispersal of the rally that erupted in response to the controversial address of Russian MP Sergey Gavrilov from the Speaker's Chair of the Georgian Parliament during the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (IAO). Some have lost their eye. The dispersal, which took place during Gakharia's tenure as interior minister, was the first major case in which the ruling Georgian Dream party faced backlash for mass police abuse. Georgian prosecutors opened the probe in 2019, but the investigation has been protracted, facing criticism over failure or delays in granting those injured a victim status, and flawed efforts to identify and punish those responsible. 'Chorchana topic didn't fully work, so plan B has been initiated,' Kakha Kemoklidze, Gakharia's party colleague, wrote on Facebook in response to investigative actions. Kemoklidze referred to the recent criminal probe that Gakharia is facing regarding the 2019 tensions at the Chorchana checkpoint, adjacent to the occupation line with the Tskhinvali region. Although Georgian Dream endorsed Gakharia as Prime Minister in 2019 following the Gavrilov's Night dispersal and the Chorchana crisis, new and revived investigations have surfaced as former party colleagues increasingly revisit his legacy. The issues were raised within the Tsulukiani Commission, a body established by the Georgian Dream parliament to investigate alleged crimes committed by former officials. Among the questions posed to Gakhaira was whether he had authorized the use of rubber bullets, which resulted in people losing their eyes. Gakharia denied doing so in his first testimony , suggesting that police may have acted independently in self-defense. He added that once he became aware of the use of rubber bullets, he instructed that they be used only as a last resort to protect officers' lives. While for years Gakharia has owned up to the dispersal, the former prime minister recently hinted at the involvement of Georgian Dream founder Bidzina Ivanishvili. Speculations about Ivanishvili's role grew after video footage from June 20, 2019, showed Anzor Chubinidze, head of the State Protection Service and a close Ivanishvili ally, moving among riot police and appearing to oversee parts of the operation. Gakharia half-confirmed Chubinidze's involvement in his second, remote testimony to the Commission, as he was responding to questions on why diplomats, including the German ambassador, were not evacuated from Parliament during the unrest. 'Unfortunately, the then-leadership of the State Security Service did not recommend such action,' he said. 'Ambassadors are individuals under state protection. Instead of the head of the State Protection Service running around on the front lines and appearing in videos, it would have been better if he had ensured the ambassadors' safety.' Former Georgian judge at the ECtHR, Nona Tsotsoria, noted in a Facebook post that the 2024 ruling has been appealed and is pending before the court's Grand Chamber, which she said is not yet 'subject to implementation.' Tsotsoria thus questioned the Prosecutor's Office's sudden 'determination' to reopen the investigation after six years, suggesting the move is intended to 'exploit the ECtHR ruling for political purposes.' Georgian Dream has implied that the revived investigation may lead to Gakharia's accountability. 'We have heard more than once that he takes full responsibility for everything that happened and that he was the one giving orders,' GD MP Archil Gorduladze said . 'Now, he will have to assume full responsibility.' Gakharia currently stays abroad after leaving for Germany amid GD's intensified crackdown on opposition, including the jailings of six political leaders. Also Read:
Global News
08-07-2025
- Global News
Italy's heroic police bloodhound found dead after eating food laced with nails
The horrific killing an Italian police bloodhound has sparked a criminal investigation to find his killers after the dog was found dead on July 4 in his shed in southern Taranto. The dog's trainer, Arcangelo Caressa, said the dog, Bruno, a seven-year-old, 195-pound bloodhound, had been fed bits of dog food laced with nails and suspected the killing was revenge against him and not the dog. 'It was deliberately a horrific act to cause the dog intense suffering, because feeding him bites filled with nails means tearing apart his insides, tearing apart his esophagus and internal organs and causing excruciating pain,' Caressa told The Associated Press of Bruno, who helped find nine people over the course of his sniffer-dog rescue career. View image in full screen This photo made available Tuesday, July 8, 2025 and taken Friday Jan. 4, 2025, shows bits of dog food laced with nails that were fed to a police dog, the 7-year-old bloodhound Bruno, killing him, his trainer Arcangelo Caressa said. AP Photo/Arcangelo Caressa In a Facebook post announcing Bruno's death, Caressa wrote, 'Today I died with you… You fought for your whole life to help human beings, and it was humans who did this to you.' Story continues below advertisement 'When a relative of yours needs Bruno, he won't be there. I thank the Prosecutor's Office and the police forces who are jointly searching for those responsible for this heinous crime,' Caressa added. Caressa said that he had told prosecutors that he suspected that he was the ultimate target of Bruno's killers, and that Bruno was killed 'to get to me.' Caressa runs a volunteer public animal rescue organization, ENDAS, that, among other things, rescues dogs from illegal dogfights. He said the service used to be run by for-profit firms and said he suspected that his competitors were behind Bruno's killing. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'In recent months, we have received threats, acts of persecution, defamation and slander from certain individuals who have already been investigated in the past and are known to the judicial authorities, who have been trying in every way to take over this rescue service by despicable means,' Caressa told the outlet. Caressa said that Bruno was 'a giant' and when he went out on a search 'you put his harness on, there was no one else like him.' 'He would set off, smell the person we were looking for and run like a train until we found them,' Caressa added. Story continues below advertisement Italy's prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, said that Bruno's slaughter was 'vile, cowardly, unacceptable.' 'Thank you for everything you did, Bruno,' she added, sharing a photo with the dog after one of his rescues. Lawmaker Michael Vittoria Brambilla, a longtime animal rights activist, filed a criminal complaint with prosecutors under a new law that she helped push through stiffening penalties for anyone who kills or mistreats an animal. 'I ask the police to make every effort to ensure that the person responsible for the death of the dog Bruno is brought to justice and responds according to the new rules of the #BrambillaLaw, which provides for those who kill an animal using services or intentionally prolonging their suffering up to 4 years in prison and 60 thousand euro fine,' she wrote on Facebook. Story continues below advertisement 'Probably the person who committed this act of negligence did not do it out of blind cruelty, but with a precise purpose, because Bruno had contributed to confiscating dogs used in fighting. 'For a greater reason … the culprit must be identified and the punishment prescribed by the Brambilla law should be applied. 'We owe it to this noble animal, victim of a vile and unscathed hand.' The new animal protection law, known as the Brambilla law, went into effect on July 1 and calls for up to four years in prison and a 60,000-euro (around a C$97,000) fine, with the stiffest penalties applied if the mistreatment is committed in front of children or is filmed and disseminated online. In a second post on July 6, Caressa wrote, 'Hi Bru, it's your human brother speaking to you. I'm sure you're still by my side, even though I can never caress you again like I used to every day.' 'These days all we do is talk about you, and I'm sure that from where you are you watching everything,' he continued. 'Maybe twinkling between the stars, or maybe you're watching us silently, with those good eyes that said everything without words needed.' Story continues below advertisement Caressa said he was 'so proud' of Bruno 'for what you have been for me and for all the people to whom you brought comfort, hope, salvation.' 'You weren't just a dog. You were my loyal shadow, my strength in the dark times,' he wrote. 'You were, you are and always will be my hero.' 'I will do justice to you by all means. Because you deserve truth, respect, memory,' Caressa added. 'He who saves a life never dies, you live now in the hearts you have guided home.' — with files from The Associated Press
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
How the brutal killing of a sniffer dog has outraged Italy
An Italian sniffer dog has been killed in a brutal attack after eating sausages filled with nails, sparking condemnation from Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Bruno the bloodhound died from internal bleeding after the sausages were thrown deliberately into his kennel in the southern city of Tarananto, according to his trainer. Arcangelo Caressa said the dog would have suffered for hours as he died. Bruno famously tracked down nine people, including missing children and people with Alzheimer's, in his work as a sniffer dog. Ms Meloni shared a photo of herself giving the dog an award and wrote: 'Some news pulls the heart. A vile, cowardly, unacceptable act. Thank you for everything you did, Bruno.' The Italian prosecutor's office and police forces are jointly searching for those responsible, as Bruno's trainer warned the culprit on social media: 'I know who you are and you will pay for it.' His trainer wrote in a statement, announcing his death: 'Today I died with you. 'Unfortunately Bruno was killed, they threw sausages with nails inside. I do not publish photos of this atrocity because you would be shocked. You killed him making him suffer for hours.' Mr Caressa continued: 'You have been rewarded by the highest authority for your work. You fought for your whole life to help human beings and now a human did this to you. 'When a relative of yours needs Bruno, he won't be there. 'I thank the Prosecutor's Office and the police forces who are jointly searching for those responsible for this heinous crime.' Michela Vittoria Brambilla, an Italian politician and animal rights activist, called for the 'maximum penalty' for the culprit under new animal rights laws. She has proposed stricter sentencing for those who kill an animal and prolong their suffering, including four years in prison and a €60,000 fine. Ms Brambilla called for the law to be applied in its totality due to Bruno's 'long and painful death' from internal bleeding via the nail-filled sausages. 'We owe it to this noble animal,' she said in a statement.
