The financial crisis at SA “Moldovagaz” is actively discussed in the public sphere, especially owing to the fraudulent management of the company and accumulation of debts to Russia’s “Gazprom”. According to independent energy experts, such a situation endangers the country’s energy security and has a destructive social and economic impact. On June 29, a group of experts presented a resolution on the situation at SA “Moldovagaz” and the authorities’ role in managing the company.
One of the experts, Ruslan Surugiu, in a news conference at IPN, said the given resolution is a follow-up to the resolution of September 2015. He welcomed the meeting of two of the 16 demands by the authorities, but noted that this is not enough for remedying the situation in the energy sector.
Energy expert Sergiu Ungureanu reminded that the debts of “Moldovagaz” to “Gazprom” accumulated mainly because the Transnistrian region didn’t pay for the consumed gas. “Moldovagaz” supplies natural gas to Transnistria’s “TiraspolTransgaz”. The money collected from the region’s consumers is transferred to the budget of Transnistria. The debt of “Moldovagaz” to “Gazprom” on July 1, 2015 came to US$4.8 billion. Some 90% of the debt belongs to “TiraspolTransgaz”.
The experts also spoke about the non-adjustment of the natural gas tariffs for end-users on time, the fraudulent management of “Moldovagaz” by the Administration Board, the lack of reaction on behalf of the Ministry of Economy and the delay in investigating the irregularities by the competent bodies.
The group of experts formulated a series of requirements to the authorities. These call on the Ministry of Economy to stage a public contest to choose professionals of integrity to hold the executive posts at “Moldovagaz”. They also request the Audit Office to carry out an audit at the company for the period between its foundation and until now. According to expert Sergiu Tofilat, before the legislation was amended, the Court could not perform an audit at a company in which the state owned less than 50% of the shares, while the Government owned a shareholding of 35% in “Moldovagaz”. Now this is possible.
The experts also call upon the National Agency for Energy Regulation to make public the calculations done to determine the financial deviations that should be included in the natural gas tariffs. The experts believe that neither the authorities nor the law enforcement agencies intervened so far because hidden goals are being pursued.
