An anti-corruption operation has taken place in Moldova recently, after INTERPOL identified potential misuse of its systems.

Following detection of the attempted misuse in a small number of cases to block and delete Red Notices, officials took immediate action internally and reported the issue to police authorities in its host country France.

Based on information provided by INTERPOL to French law enforcement authorities, on June 4, Moldova’s Anti-Corruption Prosecution Office executed multiple search warrants. INTERPOL has implemented additional measures to ensure the suspected misuse is stopped and to prevent future occurrences. 

UK authorities also notified INTERPOL of a separate cybercrime investigation, which had revealed corrupt individuals in Moldova suspected of passing information about Red Notices to wanted persons. 

INTERPOL states that they are actively cooperating with the relevant jurisdictions to address these allegations involving a limited number of Red Notices.

“Our robust monitoring systems identified suspicious activity in relation to a small number of Red Notices,” INTERPOL’s Secretary General, Jürgen Stock said. “We took immediate action, including reporting the issue to law enforcement authorities in our host country France.

“Over 70,000 people are subject to INTERPOL Red Notices, and while we are confident in the strength of our systems, we do not tolerate misuse of any kind.

“We appreciate the efforts of law enforcement authorities involved, and we will continue providing our full support to the ongoing investigations.”

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