When will Plahotniuc, Platon, or Cavcaliuc be extradited to the Republic of Moldova? IGP Chief responds
The authorities of the Republic of Moldova are actively monitoring the cases of several internationally wanted individuals, including Vlad Plahotniuc, Gheorghe Cavcaliuc, Veaceslav Platon, and Iurie Radulov, also known as "Babior." Viorel Cernăuțeanu, the Head of the General Inspectorate of Police (IGP), stated that the authorities in the United Arab Emirates have officially informed them that Vlad Plahotniuc has not been in their territory for several years.
Vladimir Plahotniuc’s name appears in the Interpol system under several identities, some of which are officially recognized, while others are allegedly the result of identity theft. Recently, two alerts were generated in Turkey and another unspecified state related to accesses to his data during border crossings. According to Viorel Cernăuțeanu, the Turkish authorities provided evasive answers, and the specific information from the other state cannot be disclosed for confidentiality reasons.
"When a person’s information is accessed in the Interpol system and we have issued a search warrant, we automatically see who accessed that information and when. In the case of Turkey, we clearly noted that the access was made during a border crossing. We reached out to our colleagues in Turkey, but their response was vague: 'We don’t know, we are checking, we will see,'" stated the head of the IGP in a show on PRO TV Chișinău.
The Chief of the National Police also discussed the challenges of collaboration in extradition cases, particularly with Turkey. He recalled the case of Ilan Șor, who fled to the Russian Federation in January 2024 after his plane made a stopover in Istanbul. "We informed the authorities in Istanbul that we were certain he was there, but the response was delayed," emphasized Viorel Cernăuțeanu.
As for Gheorghe Cavcaliuc and Veaceslav Platon, extradition procedures are underway through bilateral channels with the United Kingdom. The National Police is awaiting official notifications to proceed with their detention.
"So far, we have not received any official communication regarding the status of these procedures, but once the request is issued, extradition can take up to 10 days," Cernăuțeanu noted.
Regarding Iurie Radulov, also known as "Babior," the head of the IGP mentioned that he fled after receiving amnesty and intended to leave for the Russian Federation but was unsuccessful. Viorel Cernăuțeanu stated that Radulov was located but did not disclose his current whereabouts, as this could complicate the extradition process.
Vladimir Plahotniuc fled the Republic of Moldova in the summer of 2019 after the Democratic Party of Moldova lost power. Later that year, the authorities in Chișinău requested his prosecution through Interpol, and an arrest warrant was issued against him for crimes including creating and leading a criminal organization, fraud, and money laundering.
Gheorghe Cavcaliuc is implicated in several criminal cases in the Republic of Moldova. In February 2021, the General Prosecutor's Office initiated three cases against him for "exceeding official duties" during his tenure as head of the IGP. He has also been charged with "hooliganism" and "calling for violence" in connection with the "green brilliant" case, which involved PACE members assaulting a local official. Additionally, he is being investigated in two cases initiated in 2018 regarding the staging of a rape and the illegal transport of ammunition.
Veaceslav Platon is under investigation in the criminal case known as the "Laundromat." He is accused of organizing and leading a criminal organization and orchestrating the knowingly improper pronouncement of a judgment, sentence, decision, or conclusion by a judge.
