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Chisinau: A Chisinau court sentenced oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc to 19 years in prison on Wednesday in a case linked to the disappearance of $1.0 billion from the Moldovan banking system.
A former businessman, lawmaker and kingpin in the Democratic Party of Moldova, Plahotniuc fled the country in 2019 while facing several investigations.
He was extradited from Greece last year, after being arrested at Athens airport under an Interpol international alert.
A Chisinau judge announced the ruling on Wednesday.
The court also ordered the seizure of some $60 million from Plahotniuc's accounts, said prosecutor Alexandru Cernei after the sentencing.
Plahotniuc, 60, was not present in court on Wednesday.
He had previously dismissed the charges, calling his trial "political" and "flawed from the outset".
His lawyer Lucian Rogac said he would appeal the decision, deeming it "clearly illegal".
"The entire process was conducted in a tremendous rush, with numerous violations of the defendant's rights," Rogac said.
After Plahotniuc's return to the country, Moldovan prosecutors had demanded 25 years in jail, the maximum provided by law, in a case linked to the disappearance of money from three banks in 2014.
They accused Plahotniuc of forming and leading a criminal organisation, fraud and money laundering on a particularly large scale.
Vladimir Plahotniuc was placed under EU, US and UK sanctions for seeking to destabilise the country's politics.
