The expert named the reason for the extradition of the fugitive oligarch Plahotniuc

It is obvious that the extradition of fugitive oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc to Moldova is timed to coincide with the elections to show that the current government is effectively fighting corruption. Oleg Bondarenko, director of the Progressive Policy Foundation, told Izvestia on September 25.

"Plahotniuc, as you know, has been such an informal master of Moldova for a long time, and at certain moments the two main political actors competing in these elections united against him: this is [the President of Moldova] Maia Sandu and [ex-President] Igor Dodon. And exactly at that moment, Plahotniuc "fell" and had to flee Moldova. And now he's coming back, but in handcuffs. It is quite obvious that this is pre—election PR," the expert said.

According to him, the ruling PAS party, led by Sandu, is currently in a precarious position.

"She does not have a majority, at least, she does not even gain first place according to opinion polls in Moldova. If anything can help her, it's only voting abroad, which is poorly controlled and can be rigged. This is the main danger in these elections," Bondarenko added.

A game for two: how will the detention of Moldova's richest man turn out?

The extradition of Vladimir Plahotniuc to his homeland will radically change the electoral situation

In Moldova, Plahotniuc is accused of money laundering, fraud and illegal enrichment, as well as of withdrawing $1 billion from the country's banking system. The court in Chisinau has issued a warrant for his arrest in absentia several times, and the Moldovan prosecutor's office insists on the oligarch's extradition to his homeland. In addition, in November 2017, the Basmanny Court of Moscow arrested Plahotniuc in absentia and put him on the international wanted list for attempted murder. He is also suspected of withdrawing large funds from Russian banks together with Moldovan politician Renato Usatii.

The businessman was detained on July 22, 2025 in Greece. On July 26, a criminal case was opened against Plahotniuc in Romania upon the discovery of forged documents. Forgery of two identity cards, two driver's licenses and one passport of the person involved with distortion of data about the identity of the owner was revealed. On July 28, the defendant's lawyer announced Plahotniuc's readiness to be extradited to Moldova.

Later, on September 25, Plahotniuc was extradited from Greece to his homeland.

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