Veaceslav Platon is in the custody of British authorities. When could he be extradited?
Controversial businessman Veaceslav Platon is in the custody of British authorities. According to the Prosecutor General's Office, in mid-April, British courts will begin examining the extradition request filed by the authorities in Chisinau.
We remind you that Veaceslav Platon was detained on March 13 in the United Kingdom, based on prosecutors' request in Chisinau from the fall of 2024. The politician is to be handed over to the law enforcement institutions in our country to answer the charges brought against him.
According to legal experts, his detention is just the beginning of a complex process that could last months or even years. They argue that extradition procedures are often lengthy and require rigorous analysis by British courts, which will have to decide whether Platon can be handed over to Chisinau and whether his fundamental rights will be respected in the country. In addition, the application for political asylum filed by Platon in the United Kingdom could become an obstacle in the extradition process. If it is approved, the British authorities will automatically refuse his transfer to the Republic of Moldova, experts say.
Who is Veaceslav Platon?
Veaceslav Platon is a Moldovan businessman known for his involvement in various large-scale financial schemes and for the multiple criminal cases that have marked his career. He holds the citizenship of three states: the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, and the Russian Federation. Throughout his career, he has held public positions in state institutions, including that of municipal councillor and deputy in Parliament, but these were usually short-lived.
His public image is that of a controversial businessman and banker, having been linked over the years to several financial institutions in the Republic of Moldova. In some cases, Platon held shares, and in others, he exercised shadow control over these entities.
According to RISE Moldova, between 2004 and 2016, Platon held at least 16 passports: eight Russian, six Moldovan, two of which were diplomatic, and two Ukrainian under the name Vyacheslav Kobalyev. One of these Ukrainian passports turned out to be fake.
Charges, imprisonment and release in the UK
Platon became known for his role in the “Russian Laundromat” scheme, through which billions of dollars were illegally transferred from Russia through banks in the Republic of Moldova. In 2016, he was arrested in Ukraine and extradited to the Republic of Moldova, where he was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his involvement in the fraud related to the disappearance of a billion dollars from the Moldovan banking system. This case, known as the “theft of the billion," severely affected the country’s financial sector.
In 2020, the General Prosecutor of the Republic of Moldova, Alexandr Stoianoglo, stated that Platon’s trial was based on fake evidence, which led to his release.
In the summer of 2021, Veaceslav Platon left the Republic of Moldova. His departure sparked a wave of criticism of the Prosecutor General's Office, which was then headed by Alexandr Stoianoglo.
The Prosecutor General, whose resignation was being strongly demanded, said at the time that there was no legal prohibition for Platon to leave the country but warned that if he did not return soon and appear before the court, he would be put on international probation. In the same year, Platon requested political asylum in the United Kingdom, where he took refuge after leaving the Republic of Moldova.
Politics
In the spring of 2024, on the eve of the presidential elections in the Republic of Moldova, Platon announced, from the United Kingdom, that he had founded his own political party - "Fenix Moldova". He promised then to "pull the country out of the swamp" and contribute to the economic development of the Republic of Moldova. According to data submitted to the Public Services Agency, the president of the party launched by Platon is Nicolae Boicu.
The political party did not put forward any candidate in the presidential elections in the fall of 2024. However, journalist Natalia Morari, with whom Platon has a child, ran as an independent candidate for the position of president of the country. She scored only 9 thousand (0.61%) votes.
