Vlad Plahotniuc ran his country as a private money-laundering operation
F, Vlad Plahotniuc did a convincing imitation of a James Bond villain. From 2010-19 the Moldovan oligarch, widely known as Mr P, controlled almost everything in the country. But on April 22nd he was sentenced to 19 years in jail for his role in stealing $1bn from the country's banks a decade ago, and fined $60m in damages. For tiny Moldova, it was a huge step -- a sign that the notoriously corrupt and cowed judiciary has begun to work as it should. That is a central demand of the European Union, which Moldova is striving to join.
