Moldovan judiciary ready to examine Plahotniuc’s cases, Igor Grosu
The justice system in the Republic of Moldova is now better equipped to handle complex cases, including those involving former democratic leader Vladimir Plahotniuc. Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu believes that the ongoing external evaluations of judges and prosecutors are beginning to show positive results.
The Speaker informed a reporter from Moldova 1 TV on Friday, August 15, that the oligarch recently detained in Athens—after six years of evading the Moldovan justice system—is expected to return home "the sooner, the better."
"I believe we are better prepared now than we were four or five years ago. The external evaluation process is slowly but surely beginning to have an effect. That's why all efforts are being made to bring back those who have fled," Igor Grosu stated.
However, experts are skeptical about the local justice system's capacity to handle "difficult" cases. Valeriu Pașa, president of the WatchDog community, recently told Moldova 1 TV that the justice system in the Republic of Moldova is not currently equipped to manage complex cases, and the reform needs to be reconsidered.
"Plahotniuc will be extradited to the Republic of Moldova sooner or later. But the key question is this: will he arrive in Moldova and be released, will we still see him at the helm of the country, or will he go to prison?" the WatchDog president asked.
On August 13, the Athens Court of Appeal approved the request of Moldovan prosecutors to extradite the oligarch to Chișinău. The final decision regarding Plahotniuc's extradition will be made by the Greek Ministry of Justice.
According to Justice Minister Veronica Mihailov-Moraru, the extradition procedure has no fixed deadlines, as its duration depends on several factors, including "security measures, organization of transport, and movement," among others.
We remind you that Vladimir Plahotniuc, who was detained on July 22 in Athens, is currently held in the largest prison in Greece. The Greek authorities received a total of three extradition requests for Plahotniuc from the Prosecutor General's Office and the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Moldova.
The former democratic leader is accused by Moldovan prosecutors of creating and leading a criminal organization, fraud, and money laundering. Plahotniuc allegedly benefited from a total of approximately $39,284,000 and €3,518,705 stolen from Banca de Economii, Unibank, and Banca Socială.
The oligarch faces a prison sentence of 8 to 15 years.
