Oligarch linked to Russian money-laundering scheme appears in UK court
Former Moldovan MP Veaceslav Platon appears at Westminster on extradition matter tied to a multi-billion-dollar scheme that prosecutors say funneled Russian money through Moldova.
A Moldovan former member of parliament appeared in a London court on Monday on fresh extradition proceedings filed by Moldova, as prosecutors continued to pursue charges tied to a money-laundering enterprise that allegedly flooded Europe and the United States with billions of dollars in Russian money.
Prosecutors say the scheme moved vast sums of criminal cash through Moldova’s banking system with the help of corrupt judges, with the proceeds believed to have financed investments in businesses and luxury assets across Europe, including London, and spread across high-end property and consumer goods. Officials have said the beneficiaries of the funds could have ranged from £16 billion to as much as £65 billion, though figures vary in public accounts.
Platon, 52, who was once a prominent Moldovan lawmaker, is accused of involvement in an enterprise that allowed substantial criminal cash to pass through Moldova’s banking system, with the alleged complicity of corrupt judges. He is currently on conditional bail and living in a multi-million-pound apartment in Canary Wharf, according to defense counsel and public records.
He appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, speaking only to confirm his personal details, and was accompanied by his cousin, Marina Marohina, 35, who is accused of acting as a bank manager for Moldinconbank and of conspiring with others to defraud the bank of about $279,000. The appearance took place with a Russian interpreter, and Platon did not speak further beyond the confirmation of his identity.
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 added that Platon was a high-profile political figure in Moldova who had previously been extradited from Ukraine to Moldova, and that, after a change in Moldova’s government, charges against him had been dropped and he had been released. Stansfield said the defense viewed the current charges as renewed and politically motivated, arguing that they should not be treated as extradition offenses.
The defense noted that Platon’s assets had been seized or frozen by Moldovan authorities and that he had raised funds for representation through loans. They said a payment plan with those funds had been arranged to cover legal costs. The case has already drawn attention for its historical complications: Platon was arrested in Ukraine in 2016 and extradited to Moldova a month later in a jet once used by Moldova’s former president, before being sentenced to 25 years in prison in absentia after two closed trials. He was later acquitted and released, provoking controversy, and he arrived in the United Kingdom in July 2021, where he sought political asylum after alleging mistreatment in Moldovan prisons.
District Judge John Law heard that the case might be adjourned as both sides request further evidence and responses from the Moldovan government, including medical testimony related to alleged torture that defense lawyers said could bear on evidence. The judge indicated there were multiple reasons to vacate or adjourn the hearing, though he expressed reluctance to do so. Platon and Marohina were released on conditional bail ahead of a full extradition hearing, expected to be scheduled for April or May next year.
Platon has long been described by Moldovan authorities and various international outlets as among the country’s wealthiest figures, with interests spanning sugar and banking and, allegedly, energy investments in Ukraine. Moscow has also pursued charges against him in absentia, sentencing him in 2023 to 20 years in prison on related offenses in Russia, where he holds citizenship. The London proceedings are a continuation of Moldova’s extradition request and the broader dispute over the alleged laundering network that investigators say connected Russian funds to assets and businesses abroad.
The matter remains under active consideration by the Westminster court, with the next hearing likely to address treaty issues and the sufficiency of Moldova’s extradition request. Lawyers for Platon have indicated they will seek to challenge aspects of the extradition or seek delays to gather additional evidence. Prosecutors have sought to press ahead, citing the severity of the alleged scheme and the international footprint of the alleged proceeds.