President Maia Sandu said she received threats warning that authorities would jail her if former Democratic Party leader Vlad Plahotniuc returned to Chisinau. She made the remarks in an interview for journalist Dorin Galben’s YouTube channel as Plahotniuc was being transferred from Greece to Moldova.
Sandu said she does not believe Plahotniuc surrendered voluntarily and warned that he may try to influence the upcoming parliamentary elections through bribery. She urged officials to exercise caution in public statements, noting that any detail could be used by his defense team in court.
The president credited cooperation between Moldovan and Greek authorities for the extradition and dismissed Plahotniuc’s public statements as “mere spectacle.” She said his arrest was long overdue because Moldovan society suffered from his corruption and abuses.
Sandu insisted that Plahotniuc must face justice and warned that he and his allies could try to return to politics by buying votes. She compared him to fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, calling both part of a “mafia system.”
The president also said she had received indications of a possible deal between Vlad Plahotniuc and former president Igor Dodon, and warned that their return to power would threaten her position.
Asked about the alleged kompromat Plahotniuc has collected, Sandu said some materials were already used in 2019, while others might be held for future political leverage. She stressed that the ongoing cases against him represent a crucial test for Moldova’s judiciary:
“There are no excuses. If justice fails this test, then change is inevitable. And citizens also bear responsibility: if they sell their votes and enable Plahotniuc’s release, we will all face the consequences,” Sandu concluded.