 | Moldova has declared Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin persona non grata over his "defamatory" remarks about the authorities in Chisinau. Mr Rogozin alleged that the Moldovan government was being controlled by a mafia oligarch. The situation became more complicated after pro-Russian politician Igor Dodon became Moldova's president last December. Moldovan mafia gangs operate a vast network of criminal activities across Europe including contract killings, prostitution, and drugs smuggling. |  In 2015, Moldova was rocked by a huge fraud case, when more than $1.2bn disappeared from three banks. |
 Ion Gusan, also known as “Nicu the Boss” | A mafia state is a system where the government is tied to organized crime. Transnistria, a break-away state from Moldova, has long been described as a mafia state, dependent on smuggling and gunrunning. Tens of thousands of protesters in Moldova took to the streets in September to demand the dissolution of the new government following corruption scandals. Demonstrators called for resignations, early elections and punishment for those responsible for widespread embezzlement. |  Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe since its independence movement in the early 1990s. |
