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Multinational operation breaks up scheme for sabotaging Interpol red notices

  • Alleged plot in Moldova sought to block the actions of Interpol against fugitive criminals
  • Joint operation involved crime agencies from France, the United States, Britain and Moldova

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The Interpol logo at the international police agency headquarters in Lyon, central France. File photo: AP

Four interior ministry employees were arrested in Moldova in a vast operation to catch government officials sabotaging Interpol red notices.

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US and French officers were involved in the operation that targeted 12 suspects and took place in 33 different locations in Moldova, France’s financial crimes prosecutor Jean-Francois Bohnert said in a statement.

The attempt at fraud by mostly Moldovan officials aimed at “obstructing Interpol’s issuance of red notices targeting wanted international fugitives” linked to organised crime, Bohnert said on Tuesday.

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“A group of people of different nationalities is suspected of mounting a corruption scheme allowing wanted people to block or delete red notices targeting them, by paying bribes to public agents, especially in Moldova,” he added.

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