Moldovan oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc, long considered the country’s most notorious fugitive, has been extradited from Greece to face trial in Chisinau.

The 59-year-old is accused of masterminding the 2014 “theft of the century,” when $1 billion vanished from Moldovan banks—equivalent to 12% of the country’s GDP.

Plahotniuc was arrested at Athens airport in July on an Interpol red notice while attempting to fly to Dubai, Greek officials said.

He spent two months in detention in Greece before being handed over to Moldovan authorities on Thursday under tight security.

Once the most powerful figure in Moldova’s Democratic Party, Plahotniuc denies wrongdoing and fought extradition for years, Al-Jazeera has reported.

His first court appearance is set for September 26.

The timing of his return is politically charged, coming just days before Moldova’s September 28 parliamentary elections, viewed as a referendum on closer EU ties versus alignment with Moscow.