Moldova’s most notorious fugitive businessman, Vladimir Plahotniuc, has been extradited from Greece to face trial over the country’s biggest financial scandal, AFP and local media reported.
The 59-year-old oligarch, accused of orchestrating the disappearance of $1bn from Moldovan banks in 2014, arrived in Chisinau on Thursday under tight security. The fraud, known locally as the “theft of the century,” amounted to about 12 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP) at the time.
Plahotniuc was detained in July at Athens airport on an Interpol red notice while attempting to travel to Dubai, Greek authorities said. He had been held in Greece for two months before being handed over to Moldovan officials.
Once considered the most powerful figure in the Democratic Party of Moldova, Plahotniuc has long denied wrongdoing and resisted extradition. He is expected to appear in court in Chisinau on September 26.
Given previous accusations that he has acted in the interests of Russia, the timing of the oligarch’s return is politically charged. Moldovans head to the polls on September 28 in parliamentary elections seen as a choice between closer ties with the European Union or a pivot towards Moscow.
Plahotniuc fled Moldova in 2019 while facing multiple investigations, including the bank fraud case. He later lived in the United States for several months, where he applied for asylum.
That request was rejected, and in January 2020, his US visa was revoked when then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused him of corruption that “severely compromised the independence of democratic institutions in Moldova”.
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The EU, US and United Kingdom have all imposed sanctions on Plahotniuc, citing efforts to destabilise Moldovan politics and weaken the rule of law.
Moldovan authorities say the former tycoon must now answer charges of fraud, money laundering and organised crime. His legal battle is set to dominate headlines in a country already bracing for a deeply divisive election.
Earlier this week, at least 74 people were arrested in Moldova over an alleged plot to organise “mass riots”. President Maia Sandu has accused Russia of attempting to sway the upcoming election.
The police said the suspects were detained on Monday as more than 250 raids were carried out across the country.
“The searches are related to a criminal case into the preparation of mass riots and destabilisation, which were coordinated from the Russian Federation through criminal elements,” police said in a statement.
Pro-Western Sandu, who has described Sunday’s vote as the “most consequential” in the nation’s history, accused the Kremlin of pouring “hundreds of millions of euros” into the country in an attempt to sway the elections.
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