The Ministry of Finance is seeking over 731 million lei in damages in the “Billion Theft” case, representing the alleged loss Vladimir Plahotniuc caused to the state. Case prosecutor Alexandru Cernei announced this after the latest court hearing, to which the defendant again failed to appear, reports TV8.
Prosecutor Cernei stated: “The defendant allegedly benefited from 39 million USD and 3.5 million EUR. We will convert this sum and include it in the civil action, as the bank fraud case involves a general action covering all amounts for all accused individuals.”
Vladimir Plahotniuc did not attend the hearing. His lawyers said he plans to appear in court later: “He will respond to the charges and defend himself accordingly. He has identified errors in the prosecutors’ case, found nothing relevant in the witnesses’ statements to support the accusations, and the financial flows described by the prosecutors have no connection to him; they remain irrelevant to the charges.”
At the hearing, the prosecution presented its first witnesses — former deputy and Speaker of Parliament Igor Corman, and former Minister of Justice Ion Paduraru. The prosecution plans to hear 50 witnesses in total, with the court already scheduling over 28 sessions.
Authorities extradited Vladimir Plahotniuc to Chisinau on September 25, 2025. He remains in pre-trial detention at Penitentiary No. 13 and faces charges in the “Bank Fraud” case, the “Metalferos” case, and the passport blanks case.