Plahotniuc's lawyer accuses Moldova of blocking extradition
The lawyer for Moldova's former Democratic Party leader, Vladimir Plahotniuc, has accused authorities in Chișinău of deliberately blocking his extradition from Greece.
In a video message, Lucian Rogac claimed that Moldova's Ministry of Justice had deliberately split Plahotniuc's case files, sending them as separate requests to Greece. He alleged that each separate file required a new hearing and ruling, which delayed a final decision from the Greek Ministry of Justice.
"By exploiting loopholes in the extradition convention, Moldova's Ministry of Justice is deliberately dragging out the procedure," the lawyer said.
In response, Justice Minister Veronica Mihailov-Moraru dismissed the claims as "utter falsehoods," adding that repeating such narratives had "no connection to reality or the European extradition procedure." She stated that national authorities had done everything required under the law and the convention.
Last week, the Athens Court of Appeals accepted the Moldovan prosecutors' request for the oligarch's extradition. The final decision will be made by Greece's Ministry of Justice.
Vladimir Plahotniuc was detained on July 22 in Athens and is being held in Greece's largest prison. Greek authorities have received a total of three extradition requests for Plahotniuc from the Prosecutor General's Office and Moldova's Ministry of Justice.
The former Democratic Party leader faces charges in four criminal cases, including establishing a criminal organisation, fraud, and money laundering. He faces a prison sentence of between eight and 15 years.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
