Vladimir Plahotniuc: How the Moldovan oligarch hid in Athens for years

As revealed, the 59-year-old oligarch had been living in Greece for the past six years, under conditions of extreme secrecy. The once powerful man of Moldova's political scene was arrested on Monday afternoon by the Greek authorities, a few minutes before he was to depart on a flight to Dubai.

According to what iefimerida.gr reported yesterday, one move seemed to be enough to betray Plahotniuc. According to the information, the 59-year-old and his family were at their villa in Saronida. From there they called a taxi heading to the airport. However, their movements seemed quite hasty, as they only had a backpack with them and no luggage. Thus, the Authorities realized their intention to escape and after cooperation with the Airport police officers, they managed to delay the flight's departure and finally arrest Plahotniuc.

His name is involved in the "theft of the century"
As has become known, an international arrest warrant (red notice) was pending against him by Interpol, for participation in the embezzlement scandal of one billion euros - a case that in his country was characterized as "the theft of the century". According to the charges, within three years he had "disappeared" from the Moldovan banking system an amount equal to 12% of the country's GDP!

A network of fake identities and a luxurious life in Saronida
Since 2021, Plahotniuc had managed to obtain Greek documents - identity card, passport and driver's license - with fake information. At the same time, according to Interpol, he held four different passports with nationalities of Romania, Moldova, Russia and Mexico.

A permanent resident of Saronida, he lived in a luxurious villa with his wife, Elisaveta Kuznetsova - former Miss Moldova - and their two children. A former athlete and MP, also wanted by Russia for involvement in a drug trafficking ring, was also arrested at the airport, who was traveling with a fake Romanian ID.

International connections
Plahotniuc, a former leader of the Democratic Party of Moldova, was a three-time member of parliament. After his political defeat in 2019, he fled Moldova and found refuge in various countries, including the United States and Turkey, where he is said to have had contacts with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

A few months after his escape, an arrest warrant was issued for him. Moldovan authorities have sought to freeze his assets in Switzerland, France and Romania, as they are believed to have been acquired with the embezzled money.

It is recalled that in 2022, the US imposed sanctions on Plahotniuc, accusing him of corruption, bribery of police officers and manipulation of the Moldovan judicial system with the aim of intimidating political opponents and distorting election results.