A Romanian official, filmed with prostitutes in a hotel room in Chisinau. The episode of the Moldovan series “Plaha” that supplies speculation about an important oligarch

A few days ago, in the Republic of Moldova launched The police series “Plaha”inspired by Vladimir Plahotniuc's life, but with many scenes and fictional characters, as the authors recognize. The launch of the film, before the parliamentary elections on September 28, can be considered, both an electoral blow for the step, but also an opportunity for Moldovans to remind the period when the country was led by the organized crime and corrupt politicians. One of the episodes of “Plaha” also feeds the speculation about the high protection in Romania, which one of the dangerous oligarchs in the Republic of Moldova has benefited.

A presidential counselor in Romania goes to the Republic of Moldova to find a sufficiently skilled businessman, who will deal with the extension in this country of the Romanian company “Petil”.

The Romanian official is staying at the hotel of the Moldovan businessman “Plaha”, drinks some expensive wine with him, then goes to the room with two prostitutes. The next day, Plaha shows him a box with the “film” of his party with prostitutes last night and tells him that he is the most suitable person to run Petol on the territory of the Republic of Moldova.

This is one of the episodes of the fiction series, “Plaha”, inspired by real facts, as the authors say, launched in the Republic of Moldova. The series, which can be watched on YouTube, is directed by Igor Cobileanski and has Romanian and Moldovan actors. The example of Vlad Plaha's role is played by Iulian Postelnicu, one of the most vogue actors in Romania (the policeman from “Good people”).

I read in the press in the Republic of Moldova that the series cost 1.5 million euros, it was made by two production houses with Jurnal TV. The scenes were filmed in the Republic of Moldova, Romania and even in the USA. Subsequently, the government allocated 2.5 million Moldovan lei from the public budget for broadcasting the series.

Obviously, “Plaha” is inspired by the life of the local oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc who, at one point, had captured the entire Moldovan state. Accused now of several crimes, including removing the country, in 2014, of a billion dollars from Moldovan banks, the oligarch fled the country, but was caught in Greece and is to be extradited.

For Moldovans it is easy to identify in the series of sad memory characters in their recent history, after the fall of the USSR. In “Plaha” will recognize the former communist president Voronin, who also apply for these elections with the socialist Dodon, the Unionist Iurie Roșca, meanwhile for influence trafficking, but other characters from the interloping and political world.

Without giving too many spoilers, the film practically shows how the Republic of Moldova was captured by the organized crime and corrupt politicians, after declaring independence. People arrived in prison after some stages, the local mafi were dealing with the trafficking of human beings, buying the state assets on derisory amounts, packing with politicians and criminal investigation bodies. Those who opposed were simply eliminated. In all this complicated context, a journalist wants to find out the truth about one of the most important people in the Republic of Moldova.

Returning to reality, about Plahotniuc there was a lot in the context of his connections with people in Romania. Even some have accused the Romanian state of some protection that it would have given to the oligarch. Therefore, the fictional scene with the Romanian official filmed together with prostitutes does not seem so inappropriate.

In 2009, there was a strange episode in relations between the two states, when the Romanian consul in Chisinau had to resign after being filmed while having sex with a woman.

Criticized for the moment chosen to be broadcast

One of the criticisms of the Plaha series is that it was intentionally launched before the elections to put them in unfavorable light on the step-candidates. In fact, for Moldovans it is easy to identify the fictional characters in the film with those in real life: Plaha – Plahotniuc, Red – Roşca, Cioroian – Voronin or Petol – Petrom.

“Every citizen has to see the mini Plaha series to remind us of how Moldova was 5 years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago. (…) I do not want to hide behind the fingers. I think the moment chosen to broadcast this film is perfect. We have some choices in a few days. The society must know what to vote. For example, on Facebook, Andrei Spânu, former Minister of Infrastructure in the PAS Government.

After seeing the first four episodes of the series-which, as a personal opinion, is well over the police series of recent years-I could not do a connection with what the vice-president of the Audiovisual Council of Chisinau Aneta Gonța about the propaganda that the Kremlin does in the Republic of Moldova, through the Russian films, has told me. The discussion took place in the context in which several televisions in Russia were banned in the country, which dissatisfied a part of the population watching the films and entertainment broadcast by them.

Why not watch the Romanian television? “The content is not of the same quality,” said Aneta Gonța.

The series in Romanian “Plaha” could be the “quality content” of which the vice -president of the Audiovisual Council spoke.

If we add the fact that many Moldovans, both from the country and from the diaspora, will find many of the situations described there, the success of the production seems insured.

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