Fugitive oligarch Plahotniucʼs lawyer says he agreed to be extradited to Moldova. Chisinau denies

Moldovan oligarch Volodymyr Plahotniuc "unconditionally agrees" to extradition to Moldova.

This was stated by his lawyer Lucian Rogác, IPN media reports.

Plahotniucʼs defense notes that he officially filed such a statement, which allegedly confirms the former leader of the Democratic Party of Moldovaʼs desire to "openly cooperate with international justice".

“The procedures will continue in accordance with international norms, and any final decision will lie with the competent Greek authorities,” says Rogac.

At the same time, Chisinau denied this information on July 28. According to the countryʼs Prosecutor Generalʼs Office, Volodymyr Plahotniuc did not consent to extradition from Greece to Moldova. This information was provided to law enforcement by the Athens Court of Appeal, which is considering the procedure.

Oligarch Plahotniuc and former Democratic Party of Moldova deputy Constantin Tzutsa were detained at the airport in the Greek capital on July 22. This was done on the basis of requests transmitted through Interpol. Plahotniuc was subsequently ordered to be held in custody for 40 days. This decision can be appealed.

Who is Volodymyr Plahotniuc?

Plahotniuc is the richest person in Moldova, the first vice-speaker of the Parliament of Moldova (from December 30, 2010 to February 15, 2013). He was a deputy of the Moldovan Parliament twice. His Democratic Party has been in power since 2014, but later discredited itself due to corruption and scandals. In the last parliamentary elections in 2021, it failed to enter parliament.

He fled Moldova in June 2019 and lived in the United States for a long time, but in January 2020 his stay there was deemed undesirable.

In Moldova, arrest warrants were issued for him in three criminal cases, including complicity in the theft of a billion dollars from Moldovan banks in 2014. In Moldova, he is also considered involved in an attempt to destabilize the country. Interpol put Plahotniuc on the international wanted list on February 7, 2025.

Plahotniuc is under sanctions from the US and the European Union.

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