Stolen Billion file: former leader of Moldovan Democratic Party appears before court, makes statements on case

The former leader of the Moldovan Democratic Party (PDM), Vladimir Plahotniuc, today appeared before court and made statements in the file known as the “stolen billion.”

The ex-leader of the Democrats stressed that the charges brought by prosecutors were not well-founded and that the case against him had been launched for political reasons.

“I consider this trial to be flawed. The case was deliberately initiated by the political class. In this process, I will have to prove my innocence. Thus, the case prosecutors have not brought precise charges. At the same time, I note the lack of evidence, which is very serious,” Vladimir Plahotniuc said.

Plahotniuc made a presentation, in which he described discrepancies in the data cited in the file, the beneficiaries of more active companies and schemes that were allegedly managed by Ilan Shor.

Following the court hearing, the case prosecutor, Alexandru Cernei, noted that the version presented by Vladimir Plahotniuc was to be assessed during the judicial debates.

“The defendant gave statements and presented his view on the causes that led to the banking fraud. He set out a version regarding those financial transactions that are included in the subject of the accusation in the initial part, namely the fraudulent loans granted by the three banks. The accused did not provide details regarding the transactions that were carried out in the interest of more companies. The prosecution has presented evidence showing that he is the effective beneficiary of those companies. Vladimir Plahotniuc noted that he would later provide explanations. The defendant is charged in this case with a segment of the ‘bank fraud’. He is not charged in full for the entire case. Part of that case is still at the stage of criminal investigation. The charges concern only those funds that were transferred directly to the companies in which the defendant is indicated as the effective beneficiary. The version presented today is to be assessed during the judicial debates. I cannot now give an assessment of the information. We have taken note of this version and will seek to refute it with arguments during the judicial debates,” Alexandru Cernei remarked.

For his part, Vladimir Plahotniuc’s lawyer, Lucian Rogac, said that the materials presented today had been prepared during two months, the case being highly complex.

“What was stated today in court referred strictly to the case materials presented by the state prosecutors and to the judgments that are already final and irrevocable, I am referring to the Shor file and the Filat file. We still need time to prepare other aspects that were mentioned by the prosecutors today. We are trying to manage, and we will request an additional time limit from the court to prepare the closing arguments. Thus, in the pleadings, both the defense and the defendant must refer to the evidence, including the one examined in court, in particular I mean the defense’s evidence and the statements. Therefore, the defense needs time to familiarize itself and to integrate the witnesses’ statements. This is an absolutely normal practice, especially considering that the case is of great complexity and the episode under examination has a substantial volume,” said Lucian Rogac.

In addition, besides the “stolen billion” file, the former PDM leader will be investigated for forgery of documents in a new criminal case. The latter has been recently initiated on the basis of documents seized by Greek investigators from the house Vladimir Plahotniuc was renting in Athens, Greece. The documents show that he allegedly used multiple identities, with a total of 18 false documents being discovered.

Vladimir Plahotniuc has been in pre-trial detention since 25 September 2025, after being extradited from Greece, at which point four arrest warrants issued in his name were enforced. He is currently held in Penitentiary No. 13 from Chișinău 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 banking fraud.