“Bank fraud” hearing postponed after Plahotniuc’s defender taken by ambulance
The court hearing scheduled for Monday, September 22, in the "bank fraud" case against Vladimir Plahotniuc, who is accused of creating and leading a criminal organization, was postponed once again. This time, Plahotniuc's lawyer cited health issues just before the hearing was set to begin and requested the intervention of an ambulance. As a result, the lawyer was attended to by a medical team. We remind you that at the previous hearing, he did not appear.
The court had to appoint a lawyer ex officio after Plahotniuc's defense attorney, Lucian Rogac, announced she could not attend the trial because she was in Greece. The prosecutor in the case, Alexandru Cernei, previously expressed concerns that "premises for delaying the examination of the case" were being established and urged the court to implement measures to prevent such abuses.
In the meantime, the extradition procedure for Vladimir Plahotniuc is underway. The Greek Ministry of Justice has revoked its decision to suspend the extradition following discussions between Moldovan authorities and Greek officials on September 18. Prosecutors indicated that the the former democratic leader could be brought back to the Republic of Moldova by the end of September. According to Viorel Cernăuțeanu, head of the IGP, logistical and security measures for the transfer are being prepared.
Plahotniuc was detained in Athens on July 22 and is currently in Greece's largest prison. He is facing four high-profile criminal cases in the Republic of Moldova, including charges of forming and leading a criminal organization, fraud, money laundering, and bank fraud. In the "bank fraud" case, the only one that has reached court, prosecutors allege he benefited from $39.3 million and €3.5 million stolen in 2014 from Banca de Economii, Unibank, and Banca Sociala. If convicted, he could face a prison sentence of 8 to 15 years.
