Plahotniuc, posting on social media: “I want to return to the country to prove my innocence”
Vladimir Plahotniuc, photo: Vadim Denisov / Tass / Profimedia
Vladimir Plahotniuc said on Friday that he wants to return to the Republic of Moldova to rehabilitate, in the first statement on social media after he was detained in Greece based on a mandate related to a massive fraud, reports Reuters, taken over by Agerpres.
Plahotniuc, a former parliamentarian and considered one of the richest people in the Republic of Moldova, is one of the main suspects in the “theft of the century”, the disappearance in 2014 of the amount of dollars in the banking system in Moldova, equivalent to 12% of the country's GDP.
“I want to return to the country to prove my innocence of the law enforcement authorities or at least in front of what was left of the so-called reforms,” Plahotniuc wrote. He also stated that the accusations brought to him are based on “slander and political hatred”.
Plahotniuc also suggested that the authorities will try to delay the extradition process to ensure that his return to Moldova comes after the September 28 elections, in which the Action and Solidarity (PAS) Party of Proe -European President Maia Sandu could lose the majority in Parliament.
He also said that the authorities are afraid that his return to the country could “reveal the truth” about the case of a billion theft.
The spokesman for the PAS Party, Adriana Vlas, rejected Pahotniuc's comments, stating that the country wants the justice system to “act, with the law in the foreground”.
Last week, Plahotniuc announced that he agrees to be extradited to the Republic of Moldova and has committed to cooperate with international judicial authorities. The Government of the Republic of Moldova, who wants to adhere to the EU until 2030, has been trying to bring the former oligarch in the country for a long time.
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Vladimir Plahotniuc, 59 years old, who fled from the Republic of Moldova in 2019, was arrested last month in Athens, when he was preparing to leave for Dubai. A red notification was issued by Interpol in his case, based on accusations such as participating in an criminal organization, money laundering and fraud.
Plahotniuc was the leader of the Democratic Party of Moldova between 2016 and 2019, who was part of a ruling coalition at that time, and was vice-president of Parliament.
