Sanctions against Plahotniuc and grounds for them

The EU, US, UK, Canada, Switzerland and Norway added Plahotniuc to their Sanctions lists.

EU Sanctions, 30 May 2023	“Vladimir Plahotniuc is subject to numerous criminal proceedings in the Republic of Moldova [...] Vladimir Plahotniuc is responsible for actions and implementing policies which undermine and threaten the democracy, the rule of law, stability or security in the Republic of Moldova [...].” NOTE: The EU Regulation mentions 5 of Plahotniuc’s known identities, among which a Russian one, along with his Russian passport no: 0960304018797. https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=OJ:L:2023:140I:FULL
European Parliament Resolution, 19 Apr 2023	“[...] whereas oligarchs Ilan Șor and Vladimir Plahotniuc have been sanctioned by the United States and the United Kingdom for their involvement in the USD 1 billion bank fraud and other illicit schemes; [the European Parliament calls] to sanction fugitive oligarchs Ilan Șor and Vladimir Plahotniuc personally and, where appropriate, to sanction their businesses and political organisations; calls on the respective hosting states and territories to extradite Ilan Șor and Vladimir Plahotniuc to stand trial in the Republic of Moldova.” https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2023-0112_EN.html
U.S. Department of State, 13 Jan 2020	“Today, I am designating former Moldovan official and oligarch Vladimir Plahotniuc due to his involvement in significant corruption. In his official capacity, Plahotniuc was involved in corrupt acts that undermined the rule of law and severely compromised the independence of democratic institutions in Moldova.”
Dereck J. Hogan, US Ambassador to Moldova, 19 July 2021	“At the beginning of the last year, we imposed sanctions, and Plahotniuc has no chance of returning to the United States, simply because of his involvement in big corruption.” https://moldova.europalibera.org/a/interviu-dereck-hogan-suport-sua-pentru-moldova/31366650.html
US Sanctions, 26 Oct 2022	“The designations include former Moldovan government official Vladimir Plahotniuc, who engaged in state capture by exerting control over and manipulating key sectors of Moldova’s government, including the law enforcement, electoral, and judicial sectors. Plahotniuc maintained control over the country’s law enforcement apparatus to target political and business rivals. [...] Plahotniuc also used Moldovan government officials as intermediaries to bribe law enforcement officials in order to maintain their loyalty and further cement his control over Moldova. [...] Plahotniuc controlled the judicial system and used Moldovan courts to manipulate and invalidate the June 2018 mayoral election in Chisinau. [...] Plahotniuc also maintained control of key media outlets, further enabling his influence and ability to exert leverage over the government to target his opponents and protect himself and his allies.” https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1049
Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State, 26 Oct 2022	“We are designating Vladimir Plahotniuc, Ilan Shor, and 19 other individuals and entities related to systemic corruption and Kremlin-linked election interference in Moldova.”
Radio Free Europe, 26 Oct 2022	“U.S. targets Moldovans, Russians for sanctions over alleged political interference in Moldova. Plahotniuc, a former Moldovan deputy who has been linked to the disappearance of $1 billion from Moldovan banks in 2014, maintained control over the country’s law enforcement apparatus to target political and business rivals, according to the Treasury Department.” https://www.rferl.org/amp/moldovans-russians-us-treasury-sanctions-election-interference/32101920.html
UK Sanctions, 9 Dec 2022	“Vladimir Plahotniuc, a businessman and a former politician, fugitive from Moldovan justice, involved in capturing and corrupting Moldova’s state institutions.” https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-sanctions-target-30-corrupt-political-figures-human-rights-violators-and-perpetrators-of-conflict-related-sexual-violence-around-the-world
British Embassy to Moldova, 9 Dec 2022	“Moldovan citizens Vladimir Plahotniuc and Ilan Shor, fugitives from Moldovan justice, have today been sanctioned by the UK Government under the UK’s Anti-Corruption Sanctions Regulations.”
Canadian Sanctions, 30 May 2023	“Through his serious financial misconduct concerning public funds and the unauthorised export of capital, Vladimir Plahotniuc is responsible for actions and implementing policies which undermine and threaten the democracy, the rule of law, stability or security in the Republic of Moldova through undermining the democratic political process in the Republic of Moldova and serious financial misconduct concerning public funds.” NOTE: The document reveals 8 different passports of Plahotniuc, along with multiple nationalities and identities. https://www.opensanctions.org/entities/Q4364752/
Swiss Sanctions, 28 June 2023	“According to FINMA, the sanctioned individuals are: Vladimir Plahotniuc, the former leader of the Democratic Party of Moldova and a powerful oligarch who fled the country in 2019 after a constitutional crisis that ousted his party from power.” https://bnnbreaking.com/politics/switzerland-adopts-sanctions-on-five-people-for-undermining-moldovas-sovereignty/
Declaration of Moldovan Parliament on captive state, 8 June 2019:	“The Parliament of the Republic of Moldova: 1. Denounces the current oligarchic regime, led by the leader of the Democratic Party, Vladimir Plahotniuc, who is guilty of illegal and unconstitutional control over the Prosecutor General’s Office, the judiciary, the National Anticorruption Centre, the National Integrity Authority, the Central Electoral Commission, the Security and Intelligence Service, the National Bank of Moldova and other authorities which should operate autonomously, independently of political factors, and be democratically monitored;” http://www.parlament.md/LegislationDocument.aspx?Id=eacdde96-f564-4cf0-acc5-0ccdef439b72
4 Mar 2021, Report of Moldovan Parliament's Commission on the raider attacks of 2010-2012:	Section VI of the Report: Conclusions: “- the state institutions, authorised with special powers to defend the rule of law, public and private property of the citizens, were directly or indirectly involved in raider attacks, often acting as accomplices in the processes of dispossession of the shareholders of Victoriabank, ASITO, Banca de Economii, Moldova-Agroindbank, Victoria Asigurări; - the state institutions have directly or indirectly participated in the dispossession and deprivation of ownership rights of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova [...]” http://www.parliament.md/LegislationDocument.aspx?Id=6daac30b-5653-4237-bf29-9c17421c611a