The investigation, the conclusions of which will be confirmed in a closed session, was previously planned to be completed by March, but at the end of February it was extended until April 19.
The energy market regulator started the investigation last summer following the 15min portal, which conducted an investigation with partners from several countries in June of last year, announced that Russian parts might have been installed at GIPL. As a result, the project’s customer, the gas transmission system operator Amber Grid, also appealed to the prosecutor’s office.
The Vilnius District Prosecutor’s Office started a pre-trial investigation into the possible falsification of documents and fraud during the construction of GIPL back in July 2022.
The portal “15min” also wrote that the GIPL project was shaken by suspicions regarding possible installation of Russian parts, forgery of documents and negligent maintenance of the project.
In January, “Amber Grid” submitted a claim to the main gas pipeline contractor in Lithuania, “Alvora” – it was demanded to eliminate the shortcomings of the work by March 8, by submitting certificates of connecting parts.
At the end of March, the company was placed on the list of unreliable suppliers for three years, so it will not be able to participate in some public procurements. In the same month, law enforcement raided “Alvora”, as well as Latvian and Polish companies.
In March, the manager of Amber Grid, Nemunas Biknius, confirmed in the Audit Committee of the Seimas that the defects of the parts installed at GIPL are proved by the markings of a manufacturer other than the one that issued the certificates, but the manager of Amber Grid did not specify whether they are Russian.
According to him, the factories in Poland and Romania issued certificates for the questionable details, but according to N. Bikniaus, these documents are not suitable.
There are regarding one and a half hundred elbows of possible Russian origin in the gas pipeline, their total value is regarding 300 thousand. euros.
In 2020, the LRT Investigations Department was the first to report on Alvora’s deal regarding fittings with the company of the Russian concern ChelPipe Group, which supports the Kremlin’s military infrastructure. In the wake of the scandal, Amber Grid ordered Alvora to terminate the deal with the Russians and look for European manufacturers.
It is suspected that a scheme to cover up Russian parts with fake certificates of European companies may have been created, as if Alvora had installed ChelPipe fittings by “tucking” them under fake certificates of Polish, Romanian and Latvian companies
GIPL is the largest investment in the development of Lithuania’s gas transmission system since the restoration of independence, Lithuania allocated 116 million to the project. euros. The total value of the project is regarding 500 million. euros, regarding 60 percent funds were allocated by the European Commission.
The main gas pipeline connecting Lithuania and Poland started operating on May 1, 2022.
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2024-04-22 10:50:37
