Energy expert Sergiu Tofilat, a member of the Supervisory Board of Moldovagaz, said that the initiation of cooperation with the investigation bodies to probe the illegalities that caused damage to the company is one of the priorities of his mandate. According to him, these illegalities led to the accumulation of gas debts, IPN reports.
In a news conference, Sergiu Tofilat spoke about the case of Cristalflor where the damage is estimated at 57 million lei. According to him, based on a court decision, Modlovagaz was obliged to supply gas on credit to Cristalflor, which was then controlled by Veaceslav Platon. The money hasn’t been yet paid.
Another case is that of Belvilcom over which the National Agency for Energy Regulation adopted a decision back in 2011. This enterprise received unmetered gas and produced electricity from it or resold the gas to clients. The Agency determined that the enterprise consumed unmetered gas in the amount of 34 million lei. Sergiu Tofilat considers the gas losses in the distribution network indicated in the tariff were much larger than the effective losses.
The energy expert also said that in 2012, Moldovatransgaz purchased meters, pipes and other materials not directly from the producer, but through the agency of intermediaries and offshore firms, especially from Cyprus, and the prices were five times raised. The NAER determined the damage caused in this case at 243 million lei.
Sergiu Tofilat noted the identification and punishment of the prosecutors, investigation officers and decision makers who tried to close the criminal case referring to the frauds committed at Moldovagaz or not to start criminal cases and the institution of a mechanism for protecting the victims and accumulation of evidence for opening an investigation are also among his priorities.
He will formulate proposals about the gas pipelines under technical examination. Sergiu Tofilat said that currently, about two thirds of the gas pipelines in Moldova are not the property of Moldovagaz. These were built with funds allocated from the budget or by mayors’ offices or with money collected from people. These pipes should be inventoried and assessed as undividable property at the market price.
