Case prosecutor of former leader of Moldovan Democratic Party says provisions of Criminal Code allow law enforcement authorities to conduct criminal proceedings

The Criminal Code stipulates that all citizens of Moldova who have permanent residence on the territory of the country, but have committed crimes in other states, are held criminally liable in accordance with the procedures and code of Moldova. Prosecutor Alexandru Cernei today made statements to this effect, in the context in which Lucian Rogac, the lawyer of Vladimir Plahotniuc, claims that the criminal proceedings for forgery initiated in the name of his client would have no legal basis.

Lucian Rogac emphasized that the former leader of the Democrats had not been heard in the new criminal case.

“The allegedly forged documents were seized in another country. Among them, there is not a single document from Moldova; therefore, the authorities here have no connection with the mentioned acts and cannot initiate criminal proceedings, a criminal case or a contravention procedure. Also, a person cannot be held criminally liable twice for the same act, given that the Greek authorities have opened a criminal case in this regard and the next court hearing is scheduled for March. Thus, the same acts cannot be imputed to the person both in Greece and in another country. Likewise, if it is desired to initiate a criminal case for actions that took place before the person’s extradition, prosecutors must request permission from the Greek authorities, which has not been done and cannot be done post factum,” the lawyer noted.

For his part, the case prosecutor, Alexandru Cernei, said that the provisions of the Criminal Code allow law enforcement authorities to conduct the criminal proceedings and the actions related to it.

“To initiate criminal proceedings, there is no need for the consent of the authorities in Greece, because there are specific conditions under which such consent is requested – when the person is to be charged or already held criminally liable. At this stage there are only criminal proceedings, within which preliminary actions are to be carried out – the initiation of the criminal investigation, and afterwards a decision will be made on starting the criminal case. Within this case, more actions are to be carried out, including letters rogatory and the verification of all identities,” said Alexandru Cernei.

The prosecution noted that the identified documents came from six countries: Bulgaria, Romania, the Russian Federation, Iraq, Ukraine and Vanuatu.

“The lawyers took part in the unsealing and unpacking of the box that came from Greece. The examination of the objects took place. We got authorization from the investigating judge, so that the electronic devices could be examined. At present, all the devices are with experts, who are examining them. The expert assessment can technically determine whether the documents were printed, manufactured, or produced by other methods. With regard to the identity documents, we established during the examination, with the participation of the lawyer, that there are passports, identity cards, and driving licences from six countries: Bulgaria, Romania, the Russian Federation, Iraq, Ukraine and Vanuatu, all bearing the defendant’s photograph and other identities. These documents formed the basis for initiating criminal proceedings for the manufacture and possession of forged official documents. The other documents from Moldova are in the person’s real name. During the examination, all circumstances are to be established – whether the documents were manufactured or forged, where and by whom,” noted Alexandru Cernei.

Prosecutors on January 20 said that Vladimir Plahotniuc would be investigated for forgery in documents in a new criminal file. It was initiated on the basis of documents seized by Greek investigators from the house that Plahotniuc was renting in Athens, Greece. The documents show that Vladimir Plahotniuc allegedly used multiple identities, with a total of 18 forged documents found.

The former leader of the Democrats has been in pre-trial detention since 25 September 2025, after being extradited from Greece, at which time the four arrest warrants issued in his name were enforced. He is currently held in Penitentiary No. 13 of Chisinau and is being investigated in four high-profile criminal cases, which concern, among other things, the establishment and leadership of a criminal organization, fraud, money laundering and bank fraud.