The arrest of the Moldovan oligarch Plahotniuc in Athens is not accidental, writes the Greek press. “The message is clear”

The recent arrest of the Moldovan oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc in Athens is not a coincidence, writes the Greek publication Crisis Monitor, taken over by Rador Radio Romania.

It is interpreted as another signal – and more resounding – that Greece ceases to represent a safe refuge for people associated with Vladimir Putin's sphere.

The message is clear: the Greek territory is no longer a “neutral area” or a basis for those related to the Russian geopolitical system and followed by the US, the United Kingdom and the EU. The recent actions of the Greek authorities demonstrate availability and decision to international cooperation in the criminal prosecution of corrupt persons.

The Plahotniuc case exceeds the limits of a financial crime and enters the spectrum of geopolitical confrontation. Greece, alleviating the Euro-Atlantic strategy, transmits clear messages: neither pro-Russian potters can feel safe in the country, nor Moscow can perceive Athens as a “neutral area”.

In the geopolitical backstage, the predominant opinion in Athens is that Russia, which maintains close relations with Marshal Haftar, is largely responsible for the crisis with Libya (Greece is concerned about the possible recognition by the general Haftar of a Turkish-Libyan memorandum that discusses the Sovereignty of Greece on some maritime areas. Russia's continuous military and diplomatic support for Haftar intensifies the concern of Greece, which leads to the need for clear messages to the Russian side through the treatment offered to people like Plahotniuc.

Who is Vladimir Plahotniuc?

• He was the leader of the Democratic Party in Moldova and one of the most powerful economic and political players in the country.
• He is accused of bank fraud of over $ 1 billion-an amount equivalent to almost 1/8 of the Moldovan GDP.
• It is located on the US (2020) sanction lists and the United Kingdom for serious corruption and electoral manipulation.
• He was sought by Interpol and had several passports and forged documents.
  His case reached the dimensions of an international political-economic thriller, because he participated in a pro-Russian corruption and influence network.

Electoral impact in Moldova

Its arrest has a positive impact on the Pro-European bloc and President Maia Sandu, especially in the perspective of parliamentary elections.

The Kremlin tries to maintain its influence by misinformation, and the Western part supports the cleaning of the political scene of figures such as Plahotniuc.

The background

The way and the moment of Plahotniuc's arrest do not lead to the conviction that this has been the subject of a systematic investigation and a long-term operational vigilance from the Greek authorities, but rather reflect a choice in a certain geopolitical context.

This delay and the spectacular action at one point convey a strong message to those who had recently perceived Greece as a safe refuge of high profile, reminding them that the balances are dynamically changing under international pressure.

The arrest of Vladimir Plahotniuc in Greece acquires a special geopolitical weight due to the moment and circumstances that accompanied it.

Despite the fact that the Moldovan tycoon lived in the country for a considerable period of time, leading a high profile life in the southern suburbs of Athens-in a luxurious villa, with a luxurious car and exclusivity in its use, undisturbed by the authorities-there was no immediate mobilization of the Greek bodies of the law, Red notifications of Interpol since 2019.

Luxurious life

Plahotniuc lived for some time in a luxury residence in the southern suburbs of Athens, where he lived with strong precautionary measures, projecting a great self-confidence, but also that he took into account the lack of action from the Greek authorities.
Large amounts of money (over 155,000 euros) were found and confiscated, dozens of false passports and luxury articles, reflecting a standard of living that is not easy to overlook in the Greek urban environment.

Delay of arrest and geopolitical timing

Despite the Red Notification of Interpol issued against him from the first years after Plahotniuc's escape, there was no active supervision. The Greek police has now mobilized, “capitalizing on” certain information regarding the illegal issuance of identity documents.

The temporal overlap of the operation with the geopolitical agenda strengthens the version of the “message” to third circles that have circulated freely in Greece until recently.