From Greece’s largest prison, with personal social media pages: Plahotniuc’s first messages
Fugitive oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc, currently incarcerated in Greece's largest prison, can also be "found" on social media. He created several accounts on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Telegram, YouTube, and LinkedIn on July 18, just four days before his arrest in Athens. The first messages from these accounts were published on Monday, July 28.
"Soon, I will begin publishing important information about myself and the current situation in the Republic of Moldova here. I will only share official, verified, and truthful information regarding myself and the actions I plan to take. Additionally, I want to announce that all official messages and information about me will now be distributed exclusively through my public social media pages," Plahotniuc stated in his first message on his new Facebook page.
This post is noted to be "transmitted through lawyers."
In a follow-up message released through his legal representatives, it was announced that "Vladimir Plahotniuc has officially submitted a request in which he unconditionally accepts extradition to the Republic of Moldova."
The post was made a few hours after the Prosecutor General's Office announced that it had been informed by the Athens Court of Appeal that Vladimir Plahotniuc had filed a request not to be extradited to the authorities in Chisinau.
In response to Plahotniuc's lawyers, the Prosecutor General's Office stated that it was awaiting official confirmation from the Greek judicial authorities.
Legal expert Alexandru Bot anticipates that Plahotniuc's request for "unconditional extradition" to the Republic of Moldova could expedite the process for him to appear before the Moldovan courts.
Oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc and former MP Constantin Țuțu were detained on July 22 at the "Eleftherios Venizelos" International Airport in Athens while attempting to board a plane to Dubai. They were wanted by Interpol—Plahotniuc at the request of the Republic of Moldova and Țuțu at the request of the Russian Federation.
The Republic of Moldova requested the extradition of Vladimir Plahotniuc, who faces charges in four cases related to the creation of an organized criminal group, large-scale money laundering, and fraud, including his involvement in the 2013–2015 "bank fraud," often referred to as the "theft of the billion."
Both Vladimir Plahotniuc and Constantin Țuțu received pre-trial detention orders for 40 days and have been placed in Greece's largest prison, Korydallos.
