Former Democratic Party leader Vlad Plahotniuc announces that he will attend court hearings. Moreover, he is requesting that the hearings be public, with media access. In a social media post, Plahotniuc wrote that he has managed to complete the review of the case materials, which is why he was absent from previous court sessions.
“Now, at last, I am making the final preparations so that I can soon participate in the court hearings and present to the judges my own arguments and evidence regarding the unfounded accusations in this entirely political case. Additionally, I want to say this: in order to allow the press to report in detail on a major public interest case concerning the ‘billion-dollar theft’ from the country’s banking system, I will submit a request to the court to allow the presence of all journalists (not only those serving the political authorities) and to permit the filming of the entire court session, not just a few minutes at the beginning, as is currently the practice,” Plahotniuc wrote.
In conclusion, Vlad Plahotniuc says that he wants to shed light on the examination of past events, “events that some today prefer to forget. And I am referring here to those who are now doing everything possible to speed up and illegally conclude the court proceedings in this case, so that they themselves can escape liability for their actions and decisions during the period of the billion-dollar theft.”
Vladimir Plahotniuc was extradited to Chisinau on 25 September 2025 and is being held in pre-trial detention at penitentiary No. 13. He is accused in the Bank Fraud case, the Metalferos case, and the case concerning passport blank forms.