Fugitive businessman Veaceslav Platon fails to join Plahotniuc case as victim
The Chisinau Court, Buiucani seat, has rejected a request by Veaceslav Platon to be recognized as a victim and civil party in the criminal case against Vladimir Plahotniuc. The case involves the infamous "Billion Dollar Bank Fraud" that destabilized Moldova's economy.
Presiding judges ruled on Monday, February 2, that the request was legally unfounded. The court stated that Platon failed to demonstrate a direct causal link between the alleged damages he suffered and the specific crimes attributed to Plahotniuc in this proceedings.
"The request is rejected as unfounded because the existence of a direct causality indicator for the claimed damages was not established," the court's operative part read. Platon has 15 days to appeal the decision at the Chisinau Court of Appeal.
Platon’s claim sought recognition for material damages totaling €44.5 million (approx. 869 million MDL) and moral damages of €51,150. He alleged that in 2014, Plahotniuc used funds stolen from the banking system to purchase Platon's shares in Victoriabank and other real estate assets.
Currently residing in the United Kingdom and wanted by Moldovan authorities, Platon was previously sentenced in 2017 to 18 years in prison for his involvement in the same fraud. He was ordered to repay the exact sum he is now claiming as "damages."
Vladimir Plahotniuc, currently detained in separate quarters at Chisinau’s Penitentiary No. 13, faces charges involving over $39.28 million and €3.5 million in laundered funds. He remains under investigation in four separate criminal cases including money laundering and organized crime.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
