Oligarch linked to alleged Russia-directed money-laundering scheme appears in UK court

A Moldovan oligarch and former MP appeared in Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday for renewed extradition proceedings to Moldova, where authorities say he was involved in a money-laundering enterprise that pumped billions of dollars of Russian money through Moldova’s banking system with the help of corrupt judges. Prosecutors say the scheme funneled criminal cash through Moldovan banks and that beneficiaries invested the funds in a range of assets, including London property and other high-end holdings in European and other wealthier jurisdictions. The offenses cited include corruption, money laundering, and putting into circulation counterfeit money or securities. The case centers on Veaceslav Platon, 52, described by prosecutors as the mastermind behind the operation, and a cousin, Marina Marohina, 35, who is accused of aiding the scheme as a bank manager.

Platon, a Moldovan citizen who has also held Russian citizenship, is said to be among the country’s wealthiest figures, with business interests spanning sugar production, banking and investments in Ukrainian atomic energy projects. Prosecutors contend that the laundered funds were used to acquire businesses, luxury goods and real estate abroad. Moldova has sought his extradition on charges tied to the alleged scheme, and UK authorities have been handling an extradition request since his latest arrest.

Platon was first arrested in Ukraine in 2016 and was extradited to Moldova about a month later in a jet reportedly used by Moldova’s former president. There, he received a 25-year prison sentence after two trials held behind closed doors before being controversially acquitted and released. He then arrived in the United Kingdom in July 2021 and immediately applied for political asylum, alleging mistreatment in Moldovan prisons. In June this year, he was re-arrested in the cells at Westminster after Moldova issued a fresh extradition warrant, with District Judge Daniel Sternberg overseeing the extradition process.

Appearing again in court, Platon spoke only to confirm his personal details, assisted by a Russian interpreter. He appeared with his cousin Marina Marohina, who is accused of serving as a bank manager at Moldinconbank and of conspiring with others to defraud the bank of approximately $279,000. James Stansfield, representing Platon, told the court that his client faced “money laundering to the scale of £22 billion allegedly linked to the Russian federation.” He emphasized Platon’s high-profile political status in Moldova and noted that the government had changed in Moldova and that charges had previously been dropped after earlier extraditions. Stansfield said the defense would challenge the basis of the extradition request and that some of Platon’s assets had already been seized or frozen, but that his client could raise funds for representation through loans.

The defense also highlighted what it described as a long and contentious history with Moldovan authorities, including the course of his 2016 extradition and subsequent release, arguing that the current charges could be politically motivated. Platon’s legal team asked for additional time to gather evidence, and the court also heard that a medical expert was being considered to address claims of past torture and resulting medical issues. Hannah Hinton, representing Marohina, said there was evidence from three experts, and that the defense sought more time to review the materials from the Moldovan government, which had not yet responded to the new medical and evidentiary submissions.

District Judge John Law signaled that there were several reasons the hearing might be vacated, though he indicated he was reluctant to do so. He ordered the case to proceed with a request for further evidence and for the Moldovan government to respond to the expert reports. The pair were granted conditional bail ahead of a full extradition hearing, which prosecutors and defense teams expect to occur in April or May of next year. If approved, Moldova’s extradition request would then be adjudicated in the UK system, with Platon potentially facing transfer to Moldova to stand trial on the charges.

Platon has long been a fixture in Moldova’s political and economic landscape. He served as a member of parliament from 2009 to 2010 and has been linked to broader international money-laundering investigations that some observers say illustrate how Russian money has moved into and through European financial systems. In 2023, a Moscow court convicted him in absentia on related charges and sentenced him to 20 years in prison, a development that has contributed to ongoing discomfort in Moldova and among some Western observers about the transparency and fairness of proceedings involving individuals tied to Moldova’s political elite.

The legal saga underscores the complexity of cross-border prosecutions involving alleged large-scale money laundering networks and the ways in which funds laundered abroad may connect to markets in London and other global financial centers. The extradition process in the United Kingdom and Moldova’s pursuit of its own criminal case against Platon remain ongoing, with the next major milestone the April/May hearing on whether the extradition request should proceed to a full trial in Moldova’s courts.

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