Moldova: Ex-leader Plahotniuc's arrest upheld after appeal
A fresh appeal by former Moldovan Democratic leader Vladimir Plahotniuc to challenge his detention has been rejected by the Centru Court of Appeal.
The decision is final, upholding the arrest warrant issued in September 2022 over the 'purchase of blank passport forms' case. The warrant was enforced on 25 September, the day Mr Plahotniuc was extradited from Greece and brought to the capital, Chișinău.
"The appeal filed by the defendant Plahotniuc is rejected as unfounded. The ruling of the Chișinău Court, Ciocana branch, from 9 September 2022, applying the 30-day pre-trial measure against Vladimir Plahotniuc, was upheld. The decision is final," the Centru Court of Appeal ruling states.
Plahotniuc's lawyer, Lucian Rogac, claimed prosecutors had failed to prove all the risks cited in applying the arrest.
"That's why we filed appeals at the appropriate stage, and now the defendant, Vladimir Plahotniuc, has this right to contest them," Mr Rogac affirmed.
Four warrants, all challenged
Mr Plahotniuc is currently in pre-trial detention at Penitentiary No 13 in Chișinău, where he is being held in a separate cell. Four pre-trial arrest warrants have been issued in his name, all of which have been challenged by his lawyers.
The first two appeals – in the 'Bank Fraud' and 'Metalferos' cases – were rejected by the Court of Appeal on 2 October, and on Monday, 6 October, the court upheld the arrest in the case over the 'purchase of blank passport forms.'
A fourth appeal, concerning the arrest warrant issued in the 'black bag' case, is set to be examined in the coming period.
The former Democratic leader was extradited from Greece on 25 September, more than six years after his flight from Moldova. He was taken from Chișinău International Airport ('Eugen Doga') and escorted by several police teams to Penitentiary No 13.
Mr Plahotniuc is targeted in several high-profile cases, accused of establishing and leading an organised criminal group, money laundering, and fraud.
Since his extradition, all court hearings have taken place without his presence, as he has refused to participate, including via videoconference.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
