Gazprom appointed members of the Moldovagaz Supervisory Board have requested the suspension of interim chairman Vadim Ceban and called for an audit of expenses, investments, and decisions taken during his mandate.
Vadim Ceban rejected the allegations in a comment to IPN, calling them false.
“These are absurd allegations that do not reflect reality. No such audit exists and no procedure aims to remove me from office. Those spreading this information are manipulating,” said Vadim Ceban, interim chairman of the Moldovagaz Board of Directors.
Representatives of the Ministry of Energy told IPN that Gazprom convened the Supervisory Board meeting and unilaterally submitted a set of proposals without coordination with the Moldovan side. The authorities acknowledged the proposals but said they cannot support them in their current form.
The ministry stressed that the internal audit proposed by Gazprom cannot objectively reflect the company’s situation. Similar internal audits took place in the past, including on historical debts, and the public already knows the results. In this context, the Moldovan authorities support conducting an independent external audit.
According to the Ministry of Energy, Gazprom proposed suspending the interim chairman of the Board of Directors for the duration of the internal review.
“We emphasize that initiatives regarding the appointment or dismissal of the chairman of the Moldovagaz Board of Directors fall, under the company statute, within the exclusive competence of the Moldovan shareholder,” the ministry stated.
The ministry added that Moldova representative on the Supervisory Board, Carolina Novac, State Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, refused to vote on the agenda proposed by Gazprom, the majority shareholder of Moldovagaz.
As a result, the Ministry of Energy representative did not submit a ballot, and the Supervisory Board meeting did not take place.