Alleged debt to Gazprom giant: Great part of sum not confirmed through documents, Moldovan energy minister says

Chisinau, 6 September /MOLDPRES/ - Energy Minister Victor Parlicov today unveiled the findings of the audit of the alleged historical debts of the Moldovagaz company to the Gazprom giant. The minister noted that a great part of the alleged debt was not confirmed through documents or had expired and was not executable.       

According to the findings of the audit, by late October 2021, when the contract on delivery of gas with Gazprom was extended, the debt amounted to 756 million; yet, meanwhile, a part of this debt was paid and got to be 709 million dollars.   

„To recognize this sum as debt, to pay it means an average of about 1,000 dollars per one family,’’ the energy minister stressed.  

Victor Parlicov noted that a great part of this debt was not executable or did not have confirmative documents. More exactly, no confirmative documents were presented by Moldovagaz or Gazprom for the sum of 276 million dollars out of the overall debt and another sum of more than 400 million dollars is non-executable or has expired, the minister said.   

At the same time, the audit’s authors proposed at least two scenarios, in which the Moldovan side would have ground to file certain financial pretensions to Gazprom. They regard the way of distribution of the income from the transit of gas across Moldova and the situation from the last winter, when Gazprom did not fully fulfilled the obligations on the volumes of gas delivered.  

As a result of the audit, Moldova proposes the payment, at this phase, of a sum of 8.6 million dollars and ‘’all subjects should be closed’’ with this. „This is the proposal which we made to Gazprom. There is room for discussions and we expect the reaction of Moldovagaz and Gazprom. We expect a dialogue with the Russian side on the draft resolution of these debts,’’ Parlicov added.  

The official said that the findings of the audit would be published on the official webpage of the Energy Ministry today and had been submitted to Moldovagaz and Gazprom.   

The carrying out of the audit of the historical debts of Moldovagaz was agreed upon in October 2021, when the contract on delivery of natural gas by Gazprom was signed. The audit was conducted by international companies from Norway and the United Kingdom. The carrying out of the audit has cost 850,000 euros so far.