US EditionFugitive tycoon Plahotniuc lands in Moldova after being extradited, media reports
Plahotniuc faces charges including bank fraud and money laundering involving nearly $1 billion, a case called the 'theft of the century' that equals 12% of Moldova's GDP, officials said.
- On September 25, 2025, Vladimir Plahotniuc was extradited from Greece and arrived in Chisinau around 9:25 under tight security, with prosecutors saying he may appear in Chisinau court on September 26.
- The case centers on the disappearance of $1 billion from Moldova's banking system in 2014, dubbed the 'theft of the century' and equal to roughly 12% of GDP; Vladimir Plahotniuc faces three criminal cases including fraud, money laundering, and organised crime.
- Plahotniuc was flown out of Greece on Thursday morning after a Greek court ruling in August and a justice ministry pause and later approval, then transferred under heavy escort to a penitentiary.
- With parliamentary elections set for September 28, 2025, the extradition adds political pressure as President Maia Sandu warned of Russian interference and authorities arrested at least 74 over an alleged plot.
- Plahotniuc denies wrongdoing, urges voters to support the opposition, and stressed `It has stifled the pluralism of ideas, subjugated state institutions, destroyed the economy and lost people's trust.
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Dnevni list Danas
n1info.rsA Moldovan oligarch suspected of Russian election interference arrived in Chisinau today after being extradited from Greece, where he was arrested in July.
The businessman and former MP landed in Chisinau on Thursday morning, three days before the general elections. He will be tried for the "theft of the century", a spectacular fraud of one billion dollars suffered by three Moldovan banks between 2012 and 2014.
Radio Free Europe/ RadioLiberty
einnews.comOligarch Plahotniuc Extradited Back To Moldova Days Before Pivotal Elections
Moldovan oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc has been extradited to Chisinau to face long-running criminal charges, jolting the country just days before a tense general election already roiled by allegations of Russian interference.
Greece extradites Moldova's once most powerful oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc
Vladimir Plahotniuc, once seen as the most powerful figure in Moldova, faces charges in three criminal cases, including his alleged role in the 2014 "theft of a billion dollars" from major banks.
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