A Moldovan court on April 22 sentenced Vladimir Plahotniuc, who was once the country’s most powerful oligarch and kingmaker, to 19 years in prison in an embezzlement case, the media outlet Newsmaker reported.
Plahotniuc was Moldova’s wealthiest businessman and de facto controlled the country’s government in the 2010s in what critics described as a “captured state.” His fall from grace is seen by his opponents as part of Moldova‘s alignment with European liberal and democratic values.
Plahotniuc was convicted on organized crime, fraud and money laundering charges for his alleged role in the theft of $1 billion from three Moldovan banks in 2014.
Moldova’s former Prime Minister Vlad Filat was also sentenced in the bank theft case to 9 years in prison in 2016. He was released on parole in 2019.
Another alleged organizer of the theft is Moldovan pro-Russian politician Ilan Shor, who was sentenced to 7.5 years in jail in 2017. He fled to Israel in 2019, and his term was later increased to 15 years in absentia. Â
Plahotniuc, a former lawmaker and leader of Moldova’s Democratic Party, was the country’s top powerbroker from 2013 to 2019 and effectively controlled the legislative and executive branches, law enforcement, and the judiciary.
Plahotniuc’s fortunes changed when his supporters failed to form a government in 2019, and his major opponent, pro-European politician Maia Sandu, became prime minister in 2019 and president in 2020.
He fled the country in 2019 and was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2020 and 2022 for allegedly spearheading corruption and undermining democracy in Moldova.
Plahotniuc was detained in Greece and extradited to Moldova in 2025.
He has also been charged in absentia by the Russian authorities with organized crime, drug trafficking, and money laundering.