Moldovan oligarch widely known as "Mr P". His Democratic Party dominated Moldova from 2010 to 2019, during which time the police served as his personal enforcers. He and his cronies seized control of government, banks and big business through intimidation and blackmail.
A court determined that Plahotniuc's organisation conspired to steal $1bn from Moldova's banks between 2013 and 2015 and launder the money through shell companies. The sum was equivalent to an eighth of Moldova's GDP at the time. On April 22nd 2026 he was sentenced to 19 years in prison and fined $60m in damages.
In a separate case while Plahotniuc was in power, Moldova was a linchpin in a scheme to launder $20bn of dirty Russian money, according to the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP).
After his fall in 2019, Plahotniuc fled the country. When he was arrested in Greece in 2025, police found he had 17 forged passports or identity cards and had stayed in 22 countries since 2023 to avoid detection. Upon extradition he tried to reactivate his old networks but failed; he no longer inspired fear among the public or legal institutions.
I saw a subliminal advertising executive, but only for a second.