A Moscow tribunal sentenced in absentia Moldovan businessman Veaceslav Platon to 20 years in jail. The court found him guilty of illegally taking funds in foreign currencies totaling over 126 billion rubles out of Russia, TASS Agency reported, with reference to the press service of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office.

The court in Moscow found Veaceslav Platon guilty of creating a criminal association and of performing currency transactions to transfer funds into foreign currencies in accounts of nonresidents by using false documents. These crimes are stipulated in the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.

The case was examined in the absence of Veaceslav Platon as he is wanted. The court also ordered to confiscate property that belongs to Veaceslav Platon.

Inga Grigoriu, who headed the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the “Laudromat” case, in 2021 said the money featured in the “Laundromat” case didn’t only transit Moldova’s territory and such a perception was created intentionally. The use of this money in the country had a nationwide impact. Ukrainian citizens acted as legal representatives of lending companies registered in offshore arrears. Their task was to file lawsuits in the name of lending entities so that the bailiff selected by the creditor was issued with court orders. All the orders were executed through the agency of one commercial bank of the Republic of Moldova. The money was collected by force from the accounts of corresponding banks of Russia. The role of bailiffs was very important in the schemes. Five bailiffs were contracted by 20 companies registered in offshore areas, which had been earlier involved in schemes. According to the Kroll Report, the given legal entities are connected with the groups of companied affiliated to Veaceslav Platon, Vlad Plahotniuc or Ilan Shor.