The request sent by the Moldovan Ministry of Justice to Israel to extradite the convicted businessman-turned-politician Ilan Shor is still being examined. “These are the rules and procedures of the State of Israel, and the Republic of Moldova cannot influence the course of events”, said Minister of Justice Sergiu Litvinenco during the presentation of a bill that will make it easier to prosecute suspects in absentia.
The first extradition request for Shor was sent back in March 2020. In September 2021, the Ministry sent a clarification note, and in December 2021 another request was sent. “We are still waiting for a decision from the competent institutions of the State of Israel”, said Sergiu Litvinenco.
As for the former Democratic Party leader Vlad Plahotniuc, Litvinenco says there is no official information about his whereabouts. “As far as I know, he is in Northern Cyprus, but that information is not confirmed by any state. There have been several requests for Interpol. At that stage, they were rejected and, as far as I’m concerned, prosecutors are going to come up with further requests”, the minister mentioned.
“There are several extradition requests. I know that there have been extradition requests for all those who were involved in the state capture and who are not currently in the Republic of Moldova”, said Sergiu Litvinenco. According to him, there are also extradition requests for Veaceslav Platon.
As for the detention of the former president Igor Dodon, the minister said that anyone who has committed a crime, as long as this is proven, must be held accountable. “What I want from this process is as much transparency as possible”, he added.
