Vladimir Plahotniuc, the Moldovan businessman and former political figure long associated with the country’s most significant corruption cases, has been extradited from Greece to Moldova and placed in custody in Chișinău on Thursday, 25 September.
Local media broadcast footage of his escorted disembarkation at the capital’s airport following a direct flight from Athens. He is to be held at Penitentiary No. 13 pending further legal proceedings, according to statements from Moldovan officials.
Plahotniuc’s transfer concludes a two-month legal process in Greece that began with his arrest at Athens International Airport on 22 July while he was preparing to travel to Dubai. The arrest was executed on the basis of an Interpol notice requested by Moldovan authorities. Greek police reported at the time that he held multiple travel documents. Plahotniuc denies wrongdoing.
Greek courts approved extradition in August. However, on 17 September the Justice Ministry in Athens temporarily suspended the procedure without giving public reasons, prompting concern in Chișinău. The decision was subsequently reversed, clearing the way for Thursday’s transfer.
Moldovan prosecutors have issued warrants in three cases against Plahotniuc. The most prominent relates to the disappearance of approximately $1 billion from Moldova’s banking system in 2014–15, widely known domestically as the “theft of the century”. Prosecutors allege that Plahotniuc benefited by about $39 million and €3.5 million routed via companies linked to Ilan Șor, who has been separately convicted in connection with the scheme. The case against Plahotniuc was sent to court in 2023. He rejects the allegations as politically motivated.
Reuters reported that Greek authorities recorded Plahotniuc as possessing numerous passports issued by several countries. The European Union sanctioned him in 2023, citing activities that allegedly undermined Moldova and Ukraine’s stability. Moscow has also sought his extradition in a separate case, though Greek proceedings have focused on the Moldovan files.
Thursday’s return places Plahotniuc back before Moldovan judicial authorities for the first time since he left the country in June 2019, shortly after his Democratic Party ceded power. He subsequently lived abroad while Moldovan prosecutors opened and advanced multiple investigations. Interpol circulated a notice in February this year at Chișinău’s request.
The timing is notable. Moldova holds a general election on 28 September. The government has made anti-corruption and justice reform central to its political platform. Analysts expect prosecutors and courts to move within established procedure, with initial steps likely to focus on pre-trial detention, formal presentation of charges, and case management in the bank-fraud file already before the courts. Authorities have indicated that Plahotniuc will be kept in a separate cell at the central pre-trial facility in Chișinău.
Greece’s handling of the case drew attention in the past week, following the temporary pause ordered by the Justice Ministry despite a court’s earlier approval of extradition. Moldovan officials sought clarification from Athens, while legal counsel for Plahotniuc indicated that Greek procedures were still being observed. The subsequent reinstatement of the handover removed an obstacle to Thursday’s transfer.
Plahotniuc, 59, built substantial influence in Moldova across business, media, and politics during the 2000s and 2010s. As the Democratic Party’s de facto leader between 2016 and 2019, he played a prominent role in government formation and decision-making. His prominence in domestic affairs drew international scrutiny after the banking losses emerged, with foreign partners urging accountability and reforms to financial oversight, anti-money-laundering controls, and judicial independence.
The bank-fraud investigations, centred on Banca de Economii, Banca Socială and Unibank, have produced a series of prosecutions. Șor received a final 15-year sentence upheld by Moldova’s Supreme Court in December 2024. Prosecutors allege that the networks used to extract funds overlapped with entities that benefited Plahotniuc. He contests all such claims.
