Former deputy director of Moldova's Intelligence and Security Service detained in Timisoara on treason charges: joint operation of Moldovan, Romanian intelligence services with European support

A former deputy director of Moldova’s Intelligence and Security Service (SIS), aged 47, has been was detained at the Timisoara airport and is being investigated for treason by the continuous transmission of state secret information.

According to the Romanian press, the detained individual is Alexandru Balan, who held high-ranking positions at SIS Moldova. He was brought to Bucharest, where he is to be interviewed by prosecutors from the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT).

The operation was a result of a complex, long-term cooperation between the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), SIS Moldova and partner intelligence services from the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary, with the support of Romanian judicial institutions.

In a statement, SIS Moldova emphasized that it treats risks to national and regional security with utmost responsibility.

“We continuously monitor potential threats and act constantly, together with our partners, in order to protect strategic interests and strengthen regional security,” says the Intelligence and Security Service.

For its part, SRI said that the action had been a highly complex national security operation conducted in a transnational context. “We will continue to closely monitor risks and act decisively to defend national and European security,” reads the institution’s statement.

The case marks one of the most significant joint counterespionage and security operations in recent years in the region. It confirms the importance of international collaboration in the face of threats to the stability of Central and Eastern European states.