According to the Moldovan prosecutor’s office, he is the main suspect in the case of “serious crimes, including the establishment and management of a criminal organization, fraud on a particularly large scale and money laundering.”
Plahotniuc denies all charges and is ready to defend himself in court.
The extradition story began on July 22, 2025, when Plahotniuc was arrested at Athens airport while trying to fly to Dubai. According to Interpol, he was in possession of 16 forged passports, including documents from Romania, Mexico and Russia
Then began the epic with extradition requests – sort of demanded by our prosecutors, sort of demanded by Plahotniuc himself, according to his lawyer. Anyway, on Thursday, September 25, 2025, Plahotniuc was extradited to Moldova and arrived in Chisinau.
The extradition was covered by pro-government journalists, who were invited in advance and accompanied Plahotniuc already from the airport in Athens. It was they who took the first photos from the airplane. Plahotniuc looked in good spirits: relaxed and cheerful, reading something enthusiastically and smiling as if he knew something.
Vladimir Plahotniuc’s return to Moldova took place a few days before the parliamentary elections, which raised questions about his possible influence on the political situation in the country. However, the fact that he was delivered just a day before the “day of silence” excludes the likelihood of a significant influence on the course of the current elections. Nevertheless, this extradition has a pronounced electoral character. Observers note that it is more of a demonstration to the voters that the judicial reform is yielding results and that the main “evil” of Moldova has been apprehended, humiliated and brought to trial.
At the Moldovan airport, he was met in different ways: some shouted “to jail!”, while others demanded freedom. He was not allowed to talk to the press. There were “regular” supporters of the authorities on the spot, some of whom received green on the face. Accompanied by police crews and the Fulger unit, he was taken to SIZO #13. For now for 30 days.
