Former Interpol Official Arrested Amid Corruption Allegations

Detained in the UAE under French request, Vitalie Pirlog is accused of facilitating the lifting of arrest notices for fugitives in exchange for bribes.

A former high-ranking Interpol official has been arrested in the United Arab Emirates following an alert issued by France. Vitalie Pirlog, who served as the head of a sensitive commission at Interpol’s headquarters in Lyon, is wanted in connection with a major investigation into a corruption scheme that involved the removal of red notices—International arrest alerts—against wanted individuals in return for payments to corrupt officials.

The announcement by the UAE’s ministry of interior confirmed Pirlog's arrest on Sunday, stating the former official will face numerous charges including forgery, bribery, and fraud. Pirlog's lawyer in Moldova, Nicolae Posturusu, opted not to provide comments on the case at this time. An Interpol spokesman also refrained from commenting, indicating that the case fell under the jurisdiction of local authorities.

From 2017 until 2022, Pirlog, who also held positions as Moldova's justice minister and intelligence service head, oversaw the critical task of managing and reviewing red notices at Interpol. Following his tenure with the organization, he relocated to Dubai, where he came under investigation from French and Moldovan authorities. They have been scrutinizing how several fugitives, primarily wanted for drug trafficking and other serious crimes, managed to evade Interpol's arrest alerts.