Moldova must pay Platon over €17,000 for wrongful detention; Justice Ministry says the ECtHR ruling concerns 2017 events
The Republic of Moldova violated the rights of Veaceslav Platon during his detention from 2016 to 2020 at Penitentiary No. 13 in Chisinau, and must pay him 15,600 euros in moral damages and 2,000 euros in legal costs. The decision was made by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), which established that the total amount of 17,600 euros must be paid within three months from the date of the final judgment.
The ECtHR found a violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights - prohibition of inhuman and degrading treatment, Article 13 - right to an effective remedy, in conjunction with Article 3, and Article 8 - right to family life.
Veaceslav Platon complained to the ECtHR that he was constantly monitored by employees of the "Pantera" Detachment, who allegedly entered his cell at any time, insulted him, refused to transmit his medical requests, and limited his family visits, applying several disciplinary sanctions considered unjustified.
The Court concluded that these practices constituted a serious violation of fundamental rights and the state's responsibilities regarding the treatment of detainees.
Ministry of Justice: “Consequences of the oligarchic regime”
The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Moldova stated that the ECtHR ruling, pronounced on October 9, 2025, concerns actions from 2017, without finding violations for the period after this year and until Platon’s release in 2020.
According to the institution, the case involves two individual situations from February and April 2017 concerning the insufficiency of medical care and the limitation of family visits.
The ministry qualified these episodes as consequences of the “oligarchic regime and the captured state” of that period, emphasizing that the current situation in the penitentiary system has improved significantly.
"*Meanwhile, in the penitentiaries of the Republic of Moldova, including the one where Veaceslav Platon was detained, essential changes have been implemented regarding the conditions of detention, medical assistance, respect for human rights and the training of staff in the penitentiary system. Therefore, the findings of the ECtHR do not concern the current situation", reads a statement of the institution.
The Ministry of Justice also recalled that other complaints previously filed by Platon with the ECtHR, including regarding the material conditions of detention and the right to defence, were rejected by the decisions of March 19, 2019 and June 4, 2024.
Veaceslav Platon's files
We remind you that, in July 2016, Veaceslav Platon was detained in Ukraine, at the request of the authorities of the Republic of Moldova, being accused of involvement in a money laundering scheme worth approximately 800 million lei, through Banca de Economii, an institution involved in the "theft of the billion". He was subsequently extradited to the Republic of Moldova and sentenced to 18 years in prison for involvement in bank fraud and money laundering.
In 2020, Platon was released after the then Prosecutor General, Alexandr Stoianoglo, declared that the file had been fabricated. However, Platon remains targeted in other investigations related to the same scheme, and in 2023 the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office announced the seizure of over 268 million lei from Moldindconbank accounts, considered to be associated with him.
In another case, Platon was sentenced, also in 2017, to 12 years in prison for organizing the theft of over 200 million lei from the accounts of insurance companies, including Moldasig. Investigators claimed that the scheme was implemented with the help of intermediaries and was stopped by the National Commission for Financial Market.
After his release from prison in 2020, Platon left the Republic of Moldova in 2021, after the victory of the Action and Solidarity Party in the elections, and settled in London.
His name also appears in international investigations into the money laundering scheme known as the “Russian Laundromat”, through which over 22 billion dollars were transferred from Russia through banks in the Republic of Moldova and legalized by Moldovan courts.
In 2023, Canadian authorities introduced sanctions against Platon, citing ties to the Kremlin and risks to the security of the Republic of Moldova.
Also in 2023, a Moscow court sentenced him in absentia to 20 years in prison for involvement in a scheme to illegally withdraw funds from Russia, in collaboration with other individuals, including former Democratic Party leader Vladimir Plahotniuc.
In parallel, Platon is also being investigated for other financial crimes, including forgery of bank instruments.
The controversial businessman was detained in the UK on March 13 this year, following an extradition request issued by the Moldovan authorities in September 2023. The Moldovan authorities tried to obtain the oligarch's extradition through Interpol, but the request was rejected.
Platon claims that the cases in which he is targeted are "politically" motivated.
