Greece extradites former Moldovan oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc
Greece has extradited Moldovan oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc to Chisinau, Moldovan media reported on Wednesday. Plahotniuc, once considered Moldova’s most powerful political figure, faces charges in three criminal cases, including the 2014 “theft of a billion dollars” from major banks.
Plahotniuc was added to the international wanted list in April 2025 and detained in Greece in July. Russia has also requested his extradition, accusing him in absentia of leading a criminal organization, drug trafficking, and money laundering, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Rising to prominence in the early 2010s, Plahotniuc became Democratic Party chairman in 2016, controlling banks, media, and courts. He fled Moldova in 2019 after political allies failed to form a government and has been sanctioned by the U.S. and EU for corruption and undermining democratic processes.
The extradition comes just days before Moldova’s parliamentary elections on Sept. 28, in which pro-Russian opposition parties will challenge the pro-European ruling party.
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