Society

22 April, 2026 / 16:06

/ 1 hour ago

Vladimir Plahotniuc sentenced to 19 years in prison in bank fraud case

Former leader of the Democrats Vladimir Plahotniuc has been sentenced to 19 years in prison in bank fraud case. The sentence was handed down today by the judges of the Chișinău Court, Buiucani branch.

According to the court’s decision, Vladimir Plahotniuc was found guilty of fraud, money laundering, and creating and leading a criminal organization. Prosecutors had initially requested a 25-year prison sentence.

The sentence can be appealed to the Court of Appeal.

In addition to the bank fraud case, Vladimir Plahotniuc is also under investigation for document forgery. The criminal proceedings in this case were recently initiated based on documents seized by Greek investigators from the house the former Democratic leader was renting in Athens, Greece. The documents indicate that he allegedly used multiple identities, with a total of 18 forged documents having been discovered.

Vladimir Plahotniuc has been in pre-trial detention since September 25, 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 in Chișinău.

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