Society

12 February, 2026 / 18:14

/ 3 hours ago

Hearing of former leader of Moldovan Democratic Party in bank fraud file postponed after he claims illness

The hearing of the former leader of the Moldovan Democratic Party (PDM), Vladimir Plahotniuc, in the bank fraud file has been rescheduled, after he told the court that he was feeling unwell, could not testify, and had not finished his statement.

Although he appeared at the court hearing on February 12, Plahotniuc claimed he had contracted a viral infection and was not able to give testimony. He told journalists that he had prepared over 40 pages of statements, but had not yet formulated his conclusions.

The defendant’s lawyers requested that the hearing is postponed. The request was criticized by the prosecution, but was accepted by the judges. The court also ruled that the defense must present a medical certificate confirming the illness.

“As long as we do not have medical documents, we cannot make an objective assessment,” said the case prosecutor, Alexandru Cernei.

Also today, the court granted the defense’s request to hear three more witnesses. So far, 18 of the 27 witnesses initially proposed by Vladimir Plahotniuc’s lawyers have been heard.

Vladimir Plahotniuc was detained in Greece on 22 July 2025 and extradited to Moldova on 25 September 2025. He is currently in pre-trial detention at Penitentiary No. 13 from Chisinau and is under investigation in four high-profile criminal cases, which concern, among other things, the creation and leadership of a criminal organization, fraud, money laundering and bank fraud.

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