The prosecutors on July 27 provided more details about the case that involves Veaceslav Platon. According to these, two criminal cases were started against the former MP in 2015 - over money laundering and over appropriation of money from Banca de Economii. In a news conference, the prosecutors presented a number of schemes used to commit frauds in the financial-banking sector, IPN reports.
The head of the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office Viorel Morari said that the proceedings for extraditing Veaceslav Platon from Ukraine, where he was arrested, were started. If Platon possesses Ukrainian nationality, this will not be possible. If so, the investigation materials will be transferred to the neighboring state when the investigation is completed in Moldova. Measures are now being taken to determine if Platon has Ukrainian nationality or not.
Viorel Morari presented a scheme, noting that there were five economic entities called the ‘Platon group’, which benefited from loans totaling almost US$40 million and 123 million lei in 2011 and 2012. The money was transferred to four commercial organizations in offshore areas. The electronic transfers were made from the same IP address, which points to concerted administration. The loans were secured on shares of the insurance company “Asito” and of “Moldindconbank”. Following the raising of these and other loans, Platon benefitted from almost 1 billion lei.
According to the chief of the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office, the mayor of Orhei Ilan Shor helped him hatch the schemes. They are now taking measures to identify possible links between Veaceslav Platon and the former deputy head of the National Anticorruption Center’s Money Laundering Service Mihail Gofman and to see if these schemes involved state functionaries.
Veaceslav Platon, who was put on the wanted list by the Moldovan authorities, was arrested in Kiev two days ago. The same day, the Anticorruption Prosecutor’s Office organized searches at a number of commercial banks and an insurance company. The materials discovered within the searches reveal a connection between the extended investigation into the theft of the billion and the transiting through a Moldovan bank of money from another country based on court orders. The given actions were planned by one and the same person. This is former MP Veaceslav Platon, who was indicted. He is suspected of appropriating over 800 million lei.
