Termocom deplores 'aggressiveness' shown by suppliers over historic debts

Chisinau's heat and hot water utility Termocom is complaining about what it calls “a display of aggressiveness” and “repeated threats” on the part of some of its suppliers, namely the national gas operator Moldova-Gaz and the heat-producing company CET-2, which are trying to enforce payment of historic debts. These moves, Termocom said in a press statement, can make it impossible for the Termocom to further supply heat and hot water to the city. After Termocom's accounts had been frozen as part of a lawsuit initiated by Moldova-Gaz over an older 19 million lei debt, CET-2 also introduced a claim for older debts. As a result, on March 14, the Economic Court ordered the forced payment of a debt of 763 million lei owed to CET-2, including the immediate payment of 252 million lei. “Considering that the amounts claimed represent historic debts, which had accrued before the termination of insolvency procedures in respect of Termocom in 2007, today the utility cannot meet its current contractual obligations towards its suppliers: RED Union Fenosa, Chisinau-Gaz, Apa-Canal Chisinau etc”, says the statement. “A natural question appears: who will be ultimately affected by the obligation to pay the debt enforcement fee and for court costs? Again, this will fall on the final consumers, whose pockets are already fleeced by the exaggerated tariff charged for CET-2's heat. How should current liabilities be met, when Termocom's accounts are being depleted over historic debts?”.