The Laundromat case has resurged in Europe with renewed intensity, prompting the President of Moldova to recall Veaceslav Platon

President Maia Sandu of Moldova has once again addressed the Veaceslav Platon case on the “Voice of Bessarabia” TV channel. She detailed the reasons for Prosecutor General Alexandr Stoianoglo’s resignation, alleging his connections with Platon. Platon, acquitted in 2021 and subsequently put on the wanted list, faced charges related to embezzling $1 billion and the Laundromat case. Alexandr Stoianoglo, responsible for Platon’s release, was dismissed in October 2021 after being charged with abuse of power and corrupt activities. During her TV appearance President Sandu emphasized, “I think that the country would have lost more if the person who consulted with Platon on how to fight corruption remained in the position of Prosecutor General.”

Veaceslav Platon, a businessman and former MP implicated in financial crimes alongside his partners, is currently on Canada’s sanctions list and facing multiple criminal charges in Moldova.

In 2021, a recorded conversation between Platon and his business partner, the renowned American businessman Emmanuil Grinshpun, surfaced mysteriously. Although Platon denied the recording’s authenticity, he acknowledged knowing Grinshpun. The conversation, dated March 2015, allegedly involves Grinshpun warning Platon about an investigation into his ties with “The Russian Laundromat” and the imminent arrival of high-ranking U.S. officials to impede the flow of illicit funds from Moldova to Europe—funds purportedly financing various political projects in Moscow. Platon supposedly indicated in the conversation that he had reached an agreement with law enforcement agencies.

Emmanuil Grinshpun, a businessman who gained prominence in Moldova in the early 2000s, achieving success through strategic partnerships with influential individuals. During that period, he allegedly collaborated with Oleg Voronin, the son of former President Vladimir Voronin, known for financial misconduct during his father’s tenure.

Grinshpun’s business empire thrived from 2010 to 2012, at the same time his cousin, Marian Lupu, was acting president of Moldova. In 2010, the Democratic Party of Moldova (PDM), led by Marian Lupu, was identified by IPN media as a vehicle for advancing the interests of two financial-oligarchic groups: the Plahotniuc group and the Grinshpun-Buks-Leibovich group. Currently, Emmanuil Grinshpun’s business interests are centered in Latvia.

As the Laundromat case unfolds, both businessmen remain entangled in investigations, revealing numerous points of contact between them. According to investigation by reporters from RISE Project, RISE Moldova, and OCCRP, Platon invested a portion of the Laundromat funds in projects associated with his business partner, Emmanuil Grinshpun.

It turned out that, on December 30, 2013, Veaceslav Platon verbally entered into a deal with Emmanuil Grinshpun, under which Platon provided a loan of $6.3 million for the purchase of a shopping area near the center of Chisinau. The deal reportedly provided Grinshpun with the funds to bid for the forced sale of the property and acquire the UNO shopping complex. The purchase and sale agreement was concluded on January 13, 2014, but the debt had not been repaid by the end of January 2014.

On February 27, 2015, Platon filed a complaint in Federal Court in Miami, attempting to recover $7 million. According to Platon, in lending money to Grinshpun, he considered him his friend. By September 2015, it became clear that some interaction was occurring outside of court and the case was dismissed, while Platon’s right to sue in the future was preserved. This may indicate that either the debt has been forgiven or another way to resolve the situation has been found.

The business interests of the partners also intersected in the banking sector – in one of the largest Moldovan banks, Moldova-Agroindbank (MAIB). The National Bank of Moldova revealed that, in 2011-2015, several companies colluded and, without the approval of the National Bank of Moldova, were able to acquire a controlling stake in the bank. Each company acquired less than 5% of the bank’s shares, thereby avoiding the threshold requiring the approval of the National Bank and the disclosure of additional information. Emmanuil Grinshpun represented the UK-registered company Dresfond Invest Ltd which owned 4.48% of MAIB shares. At the same time, Veaceslav Platon also showed interest in a stake in the bank, trying to purchase shares through another British company, but the regulator put a stop to it.

During the summer of 2023, numerous criminal investigations in Belarus and Russia concluded in the Laundromat case. According to The Guardian newspaper in the UK, approximately 500 individuals were suspected of being involved. The case continues to gather momentum, attracting widespread attention.