CHISINAU, Moldova (Reuters) -Moldovan business magnate Vladimir Plahotniuc, detained in Greece on a warrant linked to a landmark $1 billion fraud case, is willing to be extradited to Moldova, his lawyer said on Monday.
Plahotniuc, a former lawmaker and considered one of Moldova’s richest men, is one of the chief suspects in Moldova’s “theft of the century”, the disappearance in 2013 of $1 billion from the Moldovan banking system — the equivalent at the time of 12% of the ex-Soviet state’s GDP.
He has denied any wrongdoing.
“My client has officially agreed to extradition to Moldova,” lawyer Lucian Rogac told reporters.
He said Plahotniuc was “ready to cooperate with international judicial bodies” and any final decision on extradition procedures lay with Greek authorities.
Plahotniuc, in a statement later issued on newly opened social media accounts, said he intended to publish “important information” about himself and the situation in Moldova.
Plahotniuc, 59, who fled Moldova in 2019, was arrested last week at the Athens airport while on his way to Dubai. He has denied wrongdoing.
An Interpol red notice was issued against him based on accusations that include participation in a criminal organisation, money laundering and fraud. Interpol had issued a wanted notice for him in February.
According to a Greek police official, Russia had also requested Plahotniuc’s arrest and extradition.
Plahotniuc, a dual Moldovan and Russian national, is sought by Russia for allegedly orchestrating the attempted murder of a political rival in Moldova around 2014, according to a document seen by Reuters.
He was later linked to a criminal gang smuggling drugs from Morocco to Spain and Russia, the document said.
Greek police said that since 2023, Plahotniuc has lived in 22 countries, changing residence regularly to avoid detection. A police investigation found that Plahotniuc and a partner were living in a villa in the Athens suburbs.
Plahotniuc was the leader of Moldova’s Democratic party from 2016-2019, part of the governing coalition at the time, and served as deputy speaker of parliament. While in office, he wielded great influence over the police, judiciary and courts.
In 2023, the European Union imposed sanctions on seven people from Moldova, including Plahotniuc, for actions that it said destabilised and undermined the territorial integrity of Moldova and neighbouring Ukraine.
(Reporting by Alexander Tanas; Addiitional reporting by Yannis Souliotis in Athens; Editing by Ron Popeski and Leslie Adler)
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