​COURT OF APPEAL UPHELD DECISION TO ARREST VLAD PLAHOTNIUC IN ABSENTIA

The Chisinau Appellate Chamber has rejected the lawyers' protest against the arrest in absentia of the former chairman of the Democratic Party, Vladimir Plahotniuc, in the Metalferos case.

The Prosecutor's Office told that the court upheld the initial decision of the Ciocana sector court, which ruled to arrest Plahotniuc in absentia for 30 days.

The prosecutors stress that the court decision will allow Plahotniuc to be placed under provisional arrest immediately after detention. They have already applied to Interpol for help, but they have not received an answer yet.

In Metalferos case Plahotniuc is accused of three articles: creation and management of a criminal organization, fraud on a large scale and money laundering.

The prosecutor's office opened an investigation into the fraud at the state-owned enterprise Metalferos in August 2020. According to the materials of the investigation, since 2012 Plahotniuc headed a criminal group, which "influenced the economic activities of Metalferos". The prosecutor's report mentions several dozen people who were the founders of intermediary companies, some of which were used for money laundering, and another part - to sell Metalferos scrap metal, bought from metal collectors.

The document also notes that the purchase price of a ton of metal was set at $260, of which $250 was transferred to the accounts of intermediary firms. Then the money was cashed under fictitious documents: $150 of which was given to scrap collectors and $100 to the leaders of a criminal group.

"If participants in the scrap metal market did not agree to the rules that were imposed on them, administrative or criminal proceedings were initiated against them," the investigation noted.