CHISINAU, April 22. /TASS/. A Chisinau court sentenced Moldovan oligarch and former Democratic Party leader Vladimir Plahotniuc to 19 years in prison for stealing one billion dollars from the country’s banking system, according to a ruling.
"The court has found Vladimir Plahotniuc guilty and sentenced him to 19 years in prison," the verdict said.
Plahotniuc’s lawyer has promised to appeal the sentence. "We believe the country’s ruling is illegal, and we will protest it. Considering how many violations the case saw, we didn’t expect another decision. My client exercised his right not to participate in the hearing," he noted.
The 2015 corruption scandal, which involved the withdrawal of one billion dollars from Moldovan banks, was labeled "theft of the century." The scandal sparked opposition rallies and the collapse of two governments and the ruling coalition of pro-European parties, which enjoyed US and EU support. The Moldovan Prosecutor General’s Office said Plahotniuc organized the criminal plot and bribed nearly a third of the lawmakers to form a government.
In November 2027, Moscow’s Basmanny court arrested Plahotniuc in absentia and placed him on an international wanted list in connection with an attempted murder case.