Former Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM) leader Vladimir Plahotniuc has issued a new public statement after Prime Minister-designate Vasile Tofan mentioned him several times during Parliament’s plenary session while discussing judicial reform, and Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu said before the session that networks of influence linked to Plahotniuc may still exist despite his detention. In a message published on his official channels, Plahotniuc claimed that the repeated references to his name by the ruling party demonstrate that the situation in Moldova is “critical and serious.”
“The fact that my name is never absent from PAS officials’ speeches—whether it is the Speaker of Parliament or the new candidate for prime minister—shows that the situation in the country is so critical and so serious that they once again need to mention the name Plahotniuc in order to impress the public and make people continue to endure poverty,” the former PDM leader said.
Plahotniuc also criticized the ruling party, claiming that PAS governs by “invoking external or internal threats.”
“I understand that among the scare tactics launched by the Parliament Speaker on Tuesday was the claim that people from Plahotniuc’s era are still working in state institutions and must be removed from the system. Doesn’t this language and this desire for purges remind you of anything? Doesn’t it resemble certain totalitarian regimes from the 1930s that identified ‘enemies of the people’ and then destroyed or deported them? PAS, in a totalitarian style, wants to lynch and purge everyone in this country who is not ‘yellow’ (a reference to PAS’s party color), filling positions with cousins and party members. And at the national level, the places of Moldovans forced to leave will be taken by immigrants from Asia. In such a case, no one will rebel in the captured state. I want to say here that if there are still ‘people from Plahotniuc’s time’ in state institutions, it is precisely thanks to their competence that this state is still standing and has not completely collapsed because of the theft and irresponsibility of those in power since 2019,” Plahotniuc added.
His remarks came after Igor Grosu stated ahead of Tuesday’s parliamentary session that the influence of former networks associated with Plahotniuc had not disappeared. The Parliament Speaker said that individuals linked to those networks could still be found in various state institutions, including the judiciary, ministries, and local public administration, adding that removing such influence would be a long-term process.
Later, during the plenary session, Prime Minister-designate Vasile Tofan referred to Vladimir Plahotniuc while speaking about judicial reform. He said the reform had produced results but that it was too early to declare victory.
“I cannot deny that we live in a country where Plahotniuc is in Penitentiary No. 13, Shor has been convicted, and many others have been convicted. Step by step, little by little, we are cleaning the system of corrupt judges, prosecutors, and other corrupt officials,” Tofan said.
Earlier this month, Igor Grosu claimed that Vladimir Plahotniuc was coordinating an information campaign against the ruling Action and Solidarity Party (PAS) from prison. Plahotniuc rejected those allegations and published a response mocking the statements made by PAS representatives.
Vladimir Plahotniuc was sentenced to 19 years in prison in the criminal case commonly known as the “Bank Fraud” case. The verdict was delivered by the Chisinau Court, Buiucani office, on April 22, 2026, and is subject to appeal. He is currently being held at Penitentiary No. 13 in Chisinau.