Ukrainian prosecutors have already received documents to start the extradition proceedings against the controversial businessman Veaceslav Platon. This information was confirmed for pravovest.kiev.ua by prosecutors in charge with this case. Thus, they would address a request to the court  in the next days to allow the extradition of Platon to Moldovan authorities.

Last Tuesday, Court of Appeal in Kiev upheld the judgment of the court by which Platon was placed in custody for 40 days. Moreover, judges have ignored the evidence of the businessman’s lawyers who attempted to show that Platon is a Ukrainian citizen. According to the lawyer Denis Skiptan, the court considered as evidence a letter from the head of the Division of  Popelneansk  sector, of the State Migration Service in  region Jitomirskoe, Ukraine, informing that the template form that was supposed to be filled in by Veaceslav Platon  to obtain Ukrainian citizenship, was not found in the archive of the institution.

Platon’s lawyers considers this argument as insufficient, as such a template is filled in by foreigners who request citizenship of Ukraine or by persons without another citizenship, but Platon  obtained Ukrainian citizenship based on the soviet passport.  Also, they argue that there is much evidence that the passport issued on the name of Veaceslav Platon by the Ukrainian authorities is authentic. For example, previous replies provided by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine about lack of criminal record on the name of Platon, a document  that was requested when the businessman asked the change of his  surname from Platon in Kobalev. "The reply from the ministry shows that Platon appeared in the databases of the institution as a citizen of Ukraine", said Denis Skiptan. He pointed that the law institutions in Ukraine do their best to comply with the request of the Moldovan side to extradite the businessman.

Veaceslav Platon is listed as a suspect in a case initiated by the Anti-corruption prosecutors in Moldova on theft from Banca de Economii and complicity in the so-called "Russian laundery". Veaceslav Platon was held up on July 25, in Kyiv, immediately after Chisinau authorities had announced him as internationally wanted.  On the evening of July 25, Platon was detained in Kiev by Ukrainian law enforcement bodies. Before he was arrested, Platon managed to give an interview to Anticoruptie.md portal, in which he revealed that he owned several documents and evidence demonstrating Plahotniuc’s involvement in the theft from the Moldovan banking system. Platon said that he intends to testify on this case before the US law enforcers in charge with the investigation of the bank robbery in Moldova.

Businessman's claims were confirmed by a letter sent by the American company Frontier Solutions to the general prosecutor of Ukraine.  The institution requested to postpone the extradition of Veaceslav Platon to Chisinau authorities until businessman testifies against the investigation started in the US in connection with the theft of a billion of dollars in Moldovan banks. Two weeks ago, representatives of Frontier Solutions traveled to Kiev to discuss with Platon.

Previously, Viorel Morari, head of Anticorruption Prosecution said that the extradition proceedings of Veaceslav Platon do not depend on Chisinau authorities,  all necessary documents have already been sent to the Ukrainian side.