Judges in Athens accepted Vladimir Plahotniuc’s request for extradition to the Republic of Moldova. His lawyer, Lucian Rogac, confirmed the information for REALITATEA.MD. Plahotniuc did not attend the hearing.
“To avoid delaying the proceedings, especially to prevent the postponement of the court session, we decided that only the lawyers would attend. Otherwise, the court would have been obliged to ensure the presence of a translator, and given that we are in the holiday season, there was a risk the interpreter could not be present, which would have led to postponing the hearing to another date,” Rogac explained.
This hearing does not mark the final stage of the procedure, as the Ministry of Justice of the Hellenic Republic will make the final decision.
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Greek magistrates rejected prosecutors’ request to hand over to Moldovan authorities the goods seized from Plahotniuc in Greece (money, documents, luxury watches, phones).
On the morning of Wednesday, August 13, Justice Minister Veronica Mihailov-Moraru explained what would follow if the court approves the extradition request.
“After the court’s decision, the Greek Minister of Justice confirms how to validate the ruling, notifies the authorities of the state requesting extradition, and begins the procedures to bring the person back…,” Mihailov-Moraru stated. The procedure could take only a few days.
Plahotniuc’s lawyers have not yet commented on the court’s decision.
The General Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Moldova sent two official extradition requests for Vlad Plahotniuc to the Greek authorities. Plahotniuc had previously communicated, through his lawyers, that he wants to return to Moldova.
Authorities detained the former PDM leader at Athens Airport on July 22, based on requests sent through Interpol. After his detention, Greek law enforcement issued a 40-day arrest warrant against him.