Spanish police have arrested former Ukraine finance minister Yuri Kolobov, who is accused of embezzling millions of euros in state funds.

Kolobov was detained in the eastern coastal town of Altea, where he is believed to have been living since August, a Civil Guard statement said.

The 41-year-old was arrested on an order issued through Interpol in October.

Ukrainian authorities say Kolobov and other government officials misappropriated some €7 million of public money to a private company.

Kolobov was minister in the government of former president Viktor Yanukovych, which fell in February 2014. Yanukovych and several members of his government then fled the country.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.