PARIS (AP) — A multinational operation by Interpol and the FBI has cracked down on attempts in Moldova to sabotage one of the key tools of international policing, the Red Notice system, officials said Tuesday. Four people have been arrested in the Eastern European country.
The joint sting, which also involved cooperation with French and British authorities, uncovered an international criminal organization linked to individuals in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus suspected of cybercrime, Moldova’s anti-corruption chief said .
The suspects “paid intermediaries and public figures in Moldova to inform wanted criminals of (their) Red Notice status,” Veronica Dragalin, the head of the anti-corruption drive, told the reporter.
The message flags people considered fugitives to law enforcement worldwide and is one of Interpol’s most important tools. The investigation led to the arrest of four people over 72 hours on suspicion of disrupting communications, Dragalin said.
The plan was intended to allow people subject to Red Notices to “obtain asylum or refugee status” in Moldova and other countries “with the aim of blocking and removing the notices” by bribing government officials, she added.
According to her, the sums of money involved amount to several million dollars (euros).
Interpol said the operation by the international police agency, headquartered in Lyon, France, followed the detection of attempts to “block and delete” the communications, which flag people considered fugitives from law enforcement worldwide.
Moldova opened an investigation on April 2, after receiving information from the French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office, and subsequently requested assistance from the FBI.
“We are committed to combating high-level corruption in all its forms, especially schemes that jeopardize criminal investigations worldwide,” Dragalin said.
An Interpol statement said the agency had taken steps to prevent further “misuse of its systems.”
“Our robust monitoring systems have identified suspicious activity,” said Jürgen Stock, Secretary General of Interpol. “We took immediate action, including reporting the matter to law enforcement authorities in our host country France.”
Stock highlighted the large number of individuals subject to Red Notices – more than 70,000 people – but did not elaborate on the attempted sabotage.
Interpol did not immediately respond to calls from The Associated Press for comment.
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McGrath reported from Sighisoara, Romania.