The court has scheduled April 22, 2026, for the verdict in the case involving Vladimir Plahotniuc. At the end of the hearing, during which he addressed the judges for more than five hours, he left the courtroom without making statements.
During the proceedings, Plahotniuc concluded his defense and maintained his innocence. The court moved to the rebuttal stage, but the prosecutor said he had no additional remarks. Defense lawyer Lucian Rogac requested more time to prepare rebuttals and for the defendant to prepare his final statement, but the judges rejected the request.
In his plea, Plahotniuc challenged the accuracy of the prosecution’s calculations, arguing that certain periods and transactions were either missing or incorrectly reflected. “I am not a saint, but in this case I have nothing to do with it!” he stated.
Plahotniuc is a central figure in the case known as the “Theft of the Billion,” where authorities accuse him of creating and leading a criminal organization, large-scale fraud, and money laundering. After spending years on the international wanted list, authorities extradited him in the summer of 2025. He is currently detained at Prison No. 13 in Chișinău.