On June 10, 2020, less than a year after his appointment as Prosecutor General, Alexandr Stoianoglo issued a motion asking the investigating judge to suspend the execution of the 18-year prison sentence imposed on Veaceslav Platon in the case generically titled “Bank Fraud”. Stoianoglo signed the motion just one month after the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) rejected Platon’s lawyers’ appeal to retry the case.
In 2021, a criminal case was filed against Stoianoglo, accusing him of illegally exempting Platon from punishment. Prosecutors allege that, through intermediaries, Stoianoglo accepted and received goods to facilitate, delay or carry out several actions in the interest of a group led by Platon, thus committing the crime of passive corruption.
Ziarul de Gardă came into possession of the act by which Stoianoglo requested the release of Plato.
Veaceslav Platon was sentenced to 18 years in prison in April 2017. He was accused of obtaining, through illegal schemes, approximately 1 billion lei from the Moldovan Savings Bank, following loans granted to companies run by individuals interposed in November 2014.
May 2020. SCJ rejects request for reexamination of criminal case against Platon
May 7, 2020. The Supreme Court of Justice rejected the appeal of the lawyers of businessman Veaceslav Platon, who requested that the case in which he is accused of embezzling funds from the Moldovan Savings Bank be retried at the Court of Appeal.
June 2020. Stoianoglo requests Platon’s release from detention
Just one month after the SCJ refused to retry the case, on June 10, 2020, Alexandr Stoianoglo issued a motion requesting the investigating judge to suspend the execution of the 18-year prison sentence imposed on Veaceslav Platon in the case generically titled “Bank Fraud”.
According to the motion signed by Stoianoglo, “at the time of sentencing Platon to 18 years in prison, the court did not know all the circumstances and facts relating to the criminal case”.
“Despite the fact that Platon Veaceslav, during the criminal trial of his indictment, requested a series of actions and the hearing of several people who would confirm the existence of asset sale transactions in 2011, as well as reversible transactions in 2014, these requests were not admitted by the court, being considered unrelated to the subject matter of the case. These facts were not reflected in his conviction case and the court was not aware of them at the time of issuing its decision,” the petition signed by Stoianolgo states.
„În concluzii, ca rezultat al analizei circumstanțelor de fapt a cazului sesizat și normelor legale invocate supra, conchid că, pentru a asigura un proces penal eficient și, în consecință, a stabili adevărul obiectiv, în cadrul procedurii de revizuiree deja deschisel urmează a fi efectaute un șir de acțiuni de urmărire penală și verificate toate versiunile posibile care, la etapa dată, ne determină să considerăm că vinovăția condamnatului Platon Veaceslav nu ar corespunde învinuirilor aduse în actele de condamnare”, scrie Stoianoglo în solicitarea emisă judecătorului de instrucție.
The petition is concluded with the request of the former Prosecutor General to acquit him of the punishment.
“I request:
1. To admit the present petition;
2. To suspend the execution of the main sentence in the form of imprisonment for a term of 18 years, with its execution in a closed-type penitentiary, as well as the complementary sentence in the form of deprivation of the right to hold positions in the banking system for a term of five years, established for the convicted Platon Veaceslav by the sentence of the Chisinau Court, Buiucani Headquarters of 20.04.2016, upheld by the decision of the Chisinau Court of Appeal of 18.12.2017 and the decision of the Supreme Court of Justice of 14.11.2018”, concludes Stoianoglo’s petition.
Just five days later, on June 15, 2020, Veaceslav Platon was released from custody, after Stoianoglo’s request was granted.
The charges against Stoianoglo: “He carried out several actions in the interest of a group led by Platon, committing the crime of passive corruption”
A year later, a criminal case was filed against Stoianoglo, in which he was accused of passive corruption.
According to the press release issued at the time by the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, “the former prosecutor general is accused of having, during the period 2020-2021, acting in the interests of the criminal organization led by Veaceslav Platon, undertaken illegal actions together and in agreement with two prosecutors from the PCCOCS, with a view to releasing Veaceslav Platon from prison and acquitting him of criminal punishment, returning the assets or the equivalent value of the assets confiscated from him by final, irrevocable and enforceable sentence, and giving priority to the criminal organization led by Veaceslav Platon in all criminal trials, criminal cases, notifications pending at all criminal investigation bodies and territorial and specialized Prosecutor’s Offices, as well as in the Prosecutor General’s Office, as well as criminal cases pending before courts of all levels.”
According to the charges filed by Anticorruption prosecutors, Alexandr Stoianoglo, “as Prosecutor General, is accused of committing the crime of passive corruption, acting in the interest of an organized group led by Veaceaslav Platon.”
Specifically, according to data obtained by ZdG, Stoianoglo is suspected of having provided priority favoritism to criminal trials and cases and complaints pending in all courts against Platon for the two companies received from the group led by Platon, using his position between January 5 and October 5, 2021.
Stoianoglo is accused of having, through intermediaries, accepted and received goods to facilitate, delay or carry out several actions, holding the position of prosecutor general, in the interest of a group led by Platon, thus committing the crime of passive corruption.
Stoianoglo: “This file is completely falsified against me”
Asked if he still considers Veaceslav Platon innocent, Alexandr Stoianoglo mentioned that the release and withdrawal of the charges against Platon was legal.
“I acted as prosecutor general in this case. All the files (ed. in which Stoianoglo is targeted) were falsified abusively and even criminally by the prosecutors. I have no reason to fear these files,” Stoianoglo declared.
