Moldovan businessman Veaceslav Platon, who is wanted in his home country over an alleged $22bn money laundering conspiracy involving money from Russian banks, on March 21 lost a bid to be released on bail in Britain ahead of his fight against extradition, according to Reuters

Platon was arrested in London in March, after an extradition request by Moldova, which accuses him of organising a conspiracy to move vast sums of money out of Russia between 2010 and 2014.

Platon was investigated in connection to the Russian Laundromat case as the owner of MICB bank at that time. 

He was also sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2017, after being found guilty of involvement in the $1bn bank frauds, but the sentence has since been scrapped in a controversial re-judgement that involved the dismissed head prosecutor Alexandr Stoianoglo. 

Currently, Platon is being judged in Moldova for money laundering, after Russia already sentenced him.

Platon’s lawyer, Peter Caldwell, now argued that the Moldovan businessman is "a dissident" and explained that Platon sought political asylum in the UK because he was allegedly mistreated in detention in Moldova.

His lawyer highlighted the support that Platon allegedly provided to Ukraine in the face of sanctions imposed on Russia after the 2022 invasion. 

He also argued that the extradition was requested by Moldova in 2022, which would not be a coincidence, given that Russia convicted him in absentia in 2023.