third total
Vadim Cheban, Chairman of the Board of the Moldovan-Russian energy company “Moldovagaz” surprised The results of the audit of the company’s debt to Gazprom by the Moldovan government.
“First of all, the publicly disclosed figure of $8.6 million is confusing, whereas the total amount of historical and current debt alone of JSC “Thermoelectrica” and JSC “CHP-Nord” for natural gas supply to JSC “Moldovagaz” is $46 million.” – Wrote on Telegram channel.
He added that there are documents confirming such a debt. The status of the company will then be stated in writing.
Moldovan Cabinet on the morning of September 6 introduced According to the report of audit firms (Norway Wikborg Rein Advokatfirma AS and British Forensic Risk Association & Co), Gazprom was offered to pay $8.6 million; this was less than 1% of the $709 million debt ($433 million principal, the remainder being interest on late payments).
The country’s Minister of Energy, Viktor Parlikov announcedHe reported that Gazprom and Moldovagaz (mostly owned by Gazprom) did not submit supporting documents amounting to $276 million, while the other $400 million could not be recovered due to statute of limitations.
Possibility of litigation
In response to the statement on the results of the audit at Gazprom on September 6 expressed Categorically opposing Chisinau’s offer to pay $8.6 million out of $709 million, the company is also ready to defend its rights in any way possible.
As emphasized in the holding, the audit is invalid as it was not approved by the Moldovagaz supervisory board, contrary to the current agreement. As stated in the company, the Moldovan Council of Ministers single-handedly determined the auditor and the terms of the tender for the purchase of his services: Gazprom and Moldovagaz did not participate. The Holding pointed out that the auditor’s conclusions cannot affect the size and validity of the debt, since the amount of debt is regularly confirmed in documents signed by both companies and in international arbitration decisions.
On the afternoon of September 7, Parlikov announced the imminent defeat of Gazprom in court, if the country’s historic debts are repaid, if it goes to court. knowledgeable Moldovan portal JournalTV:
“Even in the case of arbitration, even in Moscow, I think that they (Gazprom. – socialbites.ca) have no chance for these overdue debts.”
The Minister of Energy announced that arbitration decisions regarding the amounts of alleged debt were made between 2008 and 2020 and cannot be enforced after three years.
Where did the debt come from?
Gazprom and Moldovagaz signed a five-year gas supply agreement in 2011. The contract was extended in 2016, then in 2021. The Russian company agreed to extend the agreement for the last time, on the condition that Moldova repays $709 million in debt from previous periods. Gazprom demanded timely payment for future deliveries.
Chisinau signed the agreement, which will confirm the amount of debt, subject to an independent audit. In November 2022, the SAI of Moldova reported a debt of $590.8 million after its audit. This amount was not paid due to the fault of the unrecognized Pridnestrovie, who allegedly did not pay for materials for years, as stated in Chisinau. .
In November 2022, Gazprom threatened to reduce the volume of supplies to Moldova due to the “settlement” of part of the raw materials in Ukraine. In December Chisinau temporarily refused gas supplies from Russia, and in March Vadim Cheban, head of Moldovagaz declaration about their renewal. Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean in May knowledgeable He said the country is no longer dependent on Russian gas as it is connected to the European energy grid.