Moscow’ s Tverskoy court has issued an arrest warrant for the former leader of Moldova’s Democratic Party, Vlad Plahotniuc, in absentia. The state prosecutor accused Plahotniuc of organizing a criminal group and has requested his extradition to the Russian Federation, reports the Russian News Agency TASS.

In court, Plahotniuc’ s lawyer Darya Konstantinova, declared that her client is innocent, the Russian News Agency TASS reported.

Plahotniuc, accused of illegally removing over 37 billion rubles
(around €500 million) from Russia 

In February 2019, Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) accused oligarch Vlad Plahotniuc and the controversial Moldovan businessman Veaceslav Platon of establishing a criminal group to carry out large-scale illegal currency transactions. According to the Ministry, they stole over 37 billion rubles (around €500 million) from Russia through this group from 2013 to 2014. 

“During 2013-2014, the members of the criminal group, invoking false motives and presenting forged documents, transferred money in foreign currency from the Russian banks Zapadny and Russkiy Zemelny to accounts belonging to Moldindconbank and other foreign organizations under the pretext of selling foreign currency,” said the Russian MVD in a press release. “The cash, received in Russian rubles, was withdrawn from the corresponding accounts of the Russian banks in Moldindconbank SA, on the basis of unfounded decisions of the Moldovan courts in favor of foreign persons.” 

On February 8, 2019 Alexander Korkin, a former shareholder in Victoriabank, was detained in this investigation. Alexandru Grigoriev, who is considered the co-owner of several banks including Russkiy Zemelny and Zapadny, is also being tried in the case for fraud.

Case file on smuggling and drug trafficking 

The MVD’s investigative department has also initiated a criminal case against the leaders and members of a transnational criminal group responsible for organizing a drug trafficking channel. The group allegedly brought hashish from North Africa through European Union countries for illegal trade in countries within the Commonwealth of Independent States – including on the territory of the Russian Federation.

The criminal organization is thought to have been created between June and August 2012 and to have operated under the leadership of international drug trafficker Oleg Pruteanu, as well as other individuals from Moldova and Spain.

The Russian MVD claims that their investigations uncovered that former Democratic Party leader Vlad Plahotniuc was also implicated in the case, after taking advantage of the opportunity to influence the political situation, governing bodies and the people who opposed him in Moldova. Plahotniuc was allegedly scheming with the leaders of Moldova’s top criminal groups – those in the highest positions in the country’s criminal hierarchy – in order to achieve personal gains and enrich himself, the statement said.

When contacted by telephone, Plahotniuc’ s Moldovan lawyer, Efrim Roșca, told ZDG that he is not authorized to comment on the situation.