Moldovan Oligarch Plahotniuc Extradited from Greece — The Insider
Photo: Vladimir Plahotniuc, First Deputy Speaker of Moldova’s Parliament, during an official visit to Latvia, October 30, 2012. Photo: Ernests Dinka/Saeima, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Former Democratic Party leader and billionaire Vladimir Plahotniuc, accused of organizing the “Moldovan Laundromat” money-laundering scheme, was extradited from Athens to Chișinău, Orda.kz reports, citing The Insider.
Justice Minister Veronica Mihailov-Moraru said he was immediately placed in solitary confinement at Prison No. 13.
Plahotniuc was detained on July 22 at Athens airport while attempting to fly to Dubai.
Authorities seized 21 passports and identity documents allegedly issued by Moldova, Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Iraq, and Vanuatu. Former lawmaker Constantin Țuțu was arrested alongside him with five forged documents.
Moldovan prosecutors have charged Plahotniuc in three cases, including the 2014 “theft of the century,” in which $1 billion vanished from the country’s banking system.
Investigators allege that through Ilan Shor’s companies, he pocketed $39 million and €3.5 million.
In February 2025, Interpol placed him on its wanted list.
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