OREANDA-NEWS. July 13, 2012. The National Agency for Regulation of Energy (ANRE) has discovered irregularities in the construction of a gas pipeline, Tocuz-Cainari-Mereni, carried out by the Moldovatransgaz ltd company. At a today s ANRE meeting on this subject, representatives of the above-mentioned company were given possibility to provide explanations on the discovered irregularities.

Thus, ANRE ascertained that Moldovatransgaz was not able to unveil documents certifying the organization of an eventual tender for the nomination of a provider of pipes. At the same time, ANRE director-general Victor Parlicov said the Agency does not understand why Moldovatransgaz had to appeal to a provider, while other Moldovan companies from this sector have direct contracts with the same producing plant from Ukraine.

Following a control, ANRE auditors found out that the provider, that had a contract with Moldovatransgaz to bring pipes from Ukraine, used to declare a price of 1,020 dollars for one ton of pipes at the Ukrainian customs and another one, 1,660 dollars, at the Moldovan customs. Meanwhile, an intermediary firm appeared, on the accounts of which the difference of money was transferred.

ANRE auditors discovered that the intermediary firm was registered in the USA by founders from fiscal paradises, and was erased by the US authorities after the works had been done. The auditors consider that, because of this scheme, damages worth over 40 million lei would have been inflicted to the state budget in 2006-2007, when the gas pipeline was constructed.

The deputy director of Moldovatransgaz, Valentin Boghean, could not explain the need to sign a contract with a provider, noting that the difference in the bills submitted at the Ukrainian and Moldovan customs are justified by logistics necessities.

Asked by auditors to explain why it was necessary to destroy the documents on the construction of the gas pipeline, the jurist of Moldovatransgaz said the action was in line with the law.

In its decision, the ANRE ruled to notify the Prosecutor General's Office, parliament and government of the outcomes of the audit report on the construction of the high-pressure branch pipe Tocuz-Cainari-Mereni.