Vladimir Plahotniuc, the leader of Moldova’s ruling-turned-opposition Democratic Party left the country “for a couple of days,” the party’s press service said on Saturday.
“Due to media speculations about the alleged disappearance of the Moldova Democratic Party leader, we announce that Vladimir Plahotniuc left the country for a couple of days to visit his family,” the press service said in a statement.
After the Democratic Party announced on Friday evening the resignation of Pavel Filip’s cabinet and said it would go into the opposition, Prime Minister Maia Sandu told reporters that Plahotniuc would be prosecuted for “usurping power” and other crimes. According to Moldovan media reports, shortly after the announcement, Plahotniuc and members of his inner circle left the country.
The protracted political crisis in Moldova is about to be resolved after the Democratic Party decided to cede power and its supporters unblocked entrances to governmental offices. A source in the party told TASS earlier that the decision had been taken after a visit to the party’s office by US Ambassador to Chisinau Dereck Hogan. The party leaders, in his words, had never stopped to hope for Washington’s support in the confrontation with the president, parliament and the Sandu cabinet, but received none.