Veaceslav Platon arrested in UK over billion-dollar fraud
Controversial businessman Veaceslav Platon was arrested on March 13 in the United Kingdom at the request of prosecutors in Chișinău in the fall of 2024.
Moldovan authorities announced that they are cooperating with British officials to arrange the necessary procedures for Platon’s extradition to Moldova. The politician is expected to be transferred to Moldovan authorities to face the charges against him.
Veaceslav Platon is a Moldovan businessman known for his involvement in large-scale financial schemes and criminal cases. He served as a member of Moldova’s Parliament between 2009 and 2010 and held significant shares in several financial institutions, including Moldindconbank.
Platon gained notoriety for his involvement in the "Russian Laundromat" scheme, which funneled billions of dollars illegally from Russia through Moldovan banks. In 2016, he was arrested in Ukraine and extradited to Moldova, where he was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in the billion-dollar banking fraud. This case, commonly known as the "Billion-Dollar Heist," had a devastating impact on the country’s financial sector.
In 2020, Moldova’s Prosecutor General, Alexandr Stoianoglo, declared that Platon’s conviction was based on fabricated evidence, leading to his release.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
