Greek court authorizes extradition of fugitive oligarch Plahotniuc to Moldova
13 August 19:30
The Court of Appeal in Athens has ruled to extradite Vladimir Plahotniuc, the former leader of the Democratic Party and one of the richest men in the country, to Moldova. The final decision on extradition is to be made by the Greek Ministry of Justice, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Detention in Athens
- on July 22, 2025, Plakhotniuk and former MP Konstantin Tsutsa were detained at the Athens airport while trying to fly to Dubai.
- The detention took place on the basis of requests transmitted through Interpol, which put Plakhotniuk on the international wanted list on February 7, 2025.
- The court ordered his arrest for 40 days, in accordance with the European Convention on Extradition.
Criminal cases in Moldova
- Plahotniuc is involved in three criminal proceedings, in particular:
- Complicity in the theft of $1 billion from Moldovan banks in 2014
- Illegal enrichment
- Attempt to destabilize the country
- He is under US and EU sanctions as a person involved in undermining democratic processes in Moldova.
The fugitive’s path
- He fled Moldova in June 2019
- For some time, he lived in the United States, but in January 2020, his stay there was recognized as undesirable
- According to unconfirmed information, he was later in Northern Cyprus
Plakhotniuk’s position
- Lawyer Lucian Rogac said that Plahotniuc agreed to extradition to Moldova, refusing to be extradited to Russia.
- The oligarch himself allegedly wants to prove his innocence in court.
