Prime Minister on arrest of Vladimir Plahotniuc in Greece

Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova Dorin Recean commented on the recent arrest of former leader of the Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM) Vladimir Plahotniuc, which took place in Greece. The official stated that Moldovan authorities are actively collaborating with international partners for his extradition and criminal accountability.

"We have a very good collaboration with the relevant institutions in the member states of the European Union and the friendly countries of the Republic of Moldova. At the request of our institutions, citizen Plahotniuc was detained," Prime Minister Dorin Recean said on 27 July during a press conference held on the occasion of the Bulgarian counterpart's visit to Chișinău.

Dorin Recean mentioned that Plahotniuc possesses multiple identities and false documents, which "speaks to the criminal mindset this individual has."

"He (Vladimir Plahotniuc) is to be brought back to the country and is to serve his sentence. From here on, I believe that the institutions in the Republic of Moldova, especially those that need to condemn the criminal acts committed by Plahotniuc, have no excuse," the prime minister pointed out.

Meanwhile, Moldovan authorities sent the official request to the Greek side on Thursday for the extradition of Vladimir Plahotniuc, a document currently being analyzed by institutions in Greece.

Former democratic leader Vladimir Plahotniuc and ex-deputy Constantin Țuțu were detained on 22 July at Athens International Airport while attempting to fly to Dubai. The operation was conducted as part of an international effort, both being under an Interpol red notice.

Vladimir Plahotniuc arrested in Greece: 17 fake passports, 155,000 euros in cash and luxury villa in Saronida

The General Prosecutor's Office sent the extradition request for Vladimir Plahotniuc to Greek authorities two days ago. He is being criminally investigated in the Republic of Moldova for committing serious offenses, including the creation and leadership of a criminal organization, fraud in particularly large proportions, and money laundering.

General Prosecutor's Office sent official extradition request for Vladimir Plahotniuc

Plahotniuc is being investigated in the Republic of Moldova for involvement in the "theft of the century"—the disappearance of over 1 billion USD from the banking system in 2014-2015. Authorities accuse him of bank fraud, money laundering, and the creation or leadership of a criminal organization. In parallel, the Russian Federation has also made an extradition request, but Moldovan authorities consider that priority will be given to Chișinău's request.