Plahotniuc’s lawyer absent from Court; state assigns public defender
Prosecutors are requesting that Vladimir Plahotniuc be tried separately in the "Theft of the Billion" case, considering his extradition from Greece. A new hearing was held at the Chisinau Court, based in Buiucani, regarding the only case involving the former Democratic leader. However, the hearing lasted less than an hour because Plahotniuc's lawyer did not appear. Consequently, for the upcoming hearings, he will be represented by a state-appointed lawyer, as requested by the prosecutors.
At the beginning of the hearing, Vladimir Plahotniuc's lawyer submitted a written request requesting the postponement of three hearings. Lucian Rogac claimed that he was in Greece and could not appear. The court did not agree. According to the procedure, the state attorney will announce how much time he needs to study the file.
"The request to postpone the court hearings scheduled for September 15, 19 and 22, filed by lawyer Lucian Rogac in the interests of Plahotniuc Vladimir, is rejected. The National Council for State-Guaranteed Legal Assistance is requested to designate a lawyer to provide state-guaranteed legal assistance".
The prosecutor in the case is Octavian Iachimovschi, who also serves as the deputy head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office. He says that Plahotniuc's lawyer had no reason to be absent and request the postponement of the hearings.
"We considered his absence to be unjustified. We have not seen any evidence or corroborating documents that would justify his absence from this hearing," said prosecutor Octavian Iachimovschi.
In the case file that reached the court, Vladimir Plahotniuc is accused of creating and leading a criminal organization involved in banking fraud. In 2023, his lawyers requested that the file be merged with the one that includes heads of the National Bank and the defrauded commercial banks, a request that was granted. Now, the prosecutor in the case says that the files must be analyzed separately. The measure would be necessary to avoid a possible delay in the trial, said Octavian Iachimovchi.
"We opposed these files being linked, the acts were committed in different periods, under different circumstances. New circumstances have now emerged, specifically the extradition of Mr. Plahotniuc. He is to serve an arrest warrant, and according to the Criminal Procedure Code, cases in which people are arrested are examined preferentially, urgently", explains the prosecutor.
Vladimir Plahotniuc is currently involved in three other high-profile criminal cases that are under investigation. Following his extradition, he will be placed in custody, according to the prosecutor.
We remind you that Plahotniuc left the Republic of Moldova in 2019 and was internationally wanted until July, when he was detained at Athens Airport. Prosecutors allege that he faces a total of 25 years in prison—15 years for fraud and 10 years for money laundering. Plahotniuc maintains his innocence.
