Moldovagaz’s debt to Gazprom for the supplied natural gas amounted to $590.8 million in late December 2021.
These data are contained in the materials of the Court of Accounts of Moldova after the audit of Moldovagaz company. According to Moldovagaz accounting data, out of $590.8 million debt for natural gas purchase, registered as of December 31, 2021, only $14.6 million is owed for gas supplies during the first half of 1999, before Moldovagaz SA creation, while the rest of the debts have been formed during the company activity. The debt of $144.8 million is due for gas supplies during the period from 01.07.1999 to 31.12.2007. About $394.1 million is due for gas supplies in 2011-2015, Sergey Kupriyanov, official representative of Gazprom, reported last October that the historical debt of Moldovagaz to Gazprom made $433 million at that moment, and the total debt, including overdue payments, reached $709 million. The Government of Moldova has initiated an international audit of Moldovagaz historical debt to Gazprom and Factoring Finance for gas supplies to consumers in Moldova from the right bank of the Dniester River. It will be carried out by Norwegian Wikborg Rein Advokatfirma AS and British Forensic Risk Alliance & Co. The parties agreed that these companies must precisely clarify the origin of Moldovagaz's debt to Gazprom and Factoring Finance for the natural gas supplies to consumers on the right bank of Dniester River during the period of August 27, 1991 - October 31, 2021, including: checking the distribution by Moldovagaz (its predecessors) of payments for gas consumption between consumers on the right and left bank of the Dniester River; evaluating the assets previously transferred to Gazprom as (partial) repayment of debt for the gas supplied to consumers on the right bank of the Dniester River and, if necessary, reassessing these assets; checking the accuracy of distribution of previous payments to repay the debt for the gas supplied to consumers on the right bank; checking the legality of assignment of debts to Gazprom. Earlier, the Cabinet of Ministers said that the preliminary report on the international audit of the historic debt of Moldovagaz shall be submitted by January 1, 2023, and the final report - by March 1, 2023. The Government will provide the Public Property Agency with 800,000 lei from the Government Reserve Fund to pay for the financial and legal audit. //22.11.2022 - InfoMarket.
