The Republic of Moldova cannot take Gazprom to international arbitration, but the Moldovagaz debt case will be brought before national courts, stated energy expert and member of the Moldovagaz Observers Council, Sergiu Tofilat. He also mentioned that a strategy is being developed outlining Chisinau’s actions regarding the debts claimed by Gazprom.
Representatives of the Republic of Moldova in the Moldovagaz Observers Council are expected to sue the Russian concern Gazprom, with the dispute involving the shareholders of this company, said energy expert and member of the Moldovagaz Observers Council, Sergiu Tofilat, in an interview on Vocea Basarabiei radio.
“We cannot address claims in arbitration, but based on Moldovagaz’s status, we can examine the situation as a conflict among shareholders. And we can turn to the courts in the Republic of Moldova. But what concerns me most here is the quality of the judiciary. It is known that the cases related to Moldovagaz frauds have been, fortunately, closed or put on hold. And this does not depend on Gazprom; these are cases of the prosecutor’s office and the National Anticorruption Center (CNA),” stated Sergiu Tofilat.
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Earlier, the Minister of Energy, Victor Parlicov, mentioned in the radio show “La 360 de grade” that the ministry intends to clarify certain aspects mentioned in the report, on which auditors could not pronounce a judgment due to the lack of documents at Moldovagaz, especially those referring to the debt incurred before 2003. Therefore, a company is needed to verify the correctness of the transaction, as well as the Republic of Moldova’s contribution to the formation of Moldovagaz, the evaluation of assets, and their inclusion in the company’s share capital.
It is worth noting that last year, the Moldovagaz Observers Council did not approve the final report of the independent audit of the company’s debt to the Russian concern Gazprom. The subject, included in the agenda of the meeting on November 2, was not supported by the majority of council members. A previous audit report, conducted by two international companies and presented in September, concluded that the right bank of the Dniester River had a debt of only $8.6 million out of the over $700 million claimed by Gazprom. It should be mentioned that Gazprom does not recognize the results of the external audit commissioned by the Republic of Moldova and has previously stated its intention to defend its rights “in every possible way.”