Anatol Stati seeks US$1.5bn damages from Vladimir Voronin

Former President Vladimir Voronin appears in a legal case started at the request of the Ascom-Group president Anatol Stati. The company’s spokesman Vitalie Diaconu told a news conference on July 15 that Vladimir Voronin could serve up to 10 years in jail if found guilty of abuse of power, in accordance with Article 328 of the Penal Code, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to Diaconu, in the autumn of 2008, Vladimir Voronin sent a letter to his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev, denigrating Anatol Stati, who was running a private business in Kazakhstan. As a result of Vladimir Voronin’s interference, the Kazakh authorities started inspections that resulted in the confiscation of the company’s assets and real estate and sequestration of the contracts, accounts, money and oil wells and reservoirs. Vitalie Diaconu said Vladimir Voronin’s letter was aimed at eliminating the Moldovan oil companies working in Kazakhstan and caused damage assessed at US$1.550 billion to Anatol Stati. This is the sum claimed by the businessman from the former head of state. In a letter to the Prosecutor General’s Office (PG), the businessman describes all the irregularities committed, according to him, following the request made by Voronin to Nazarbaev. As a result, the PG launched an inquiry, Vitalie Diaconu said. He also said that Vladimir Voronin caused damage of US$1.657 billion to the Moldovan people by purchasing natural gas at inflated prices only from the Russian gas giant Gazprom. Ascom-Group intended to import into Moldova natural gas from alternative sources at the price of US$76 per thousand cubic meters. The memorandum was discussed with former Premier Vasile Tarlev. The discussions were to continue at Gazprom, but Tarlev ultimately cancelled the meeting under the pressure exerted by Vladimir Voronin. Anatol Stati considers the former head of state influenced negatively the economic and energy security of the country and impoverished the people by making them pay higher prices for gas. The damage caused by Vladimir Voronin to Ascom-Group and the Moldovan people totals over US$3 billion, said the company’s vice president Artur Lungu. According to him, Anatol Stati does not claim damages from the state, but personally from Voronin Vladimir. If no steps are taken to remedy the injustices, Ascom-Group reserves the right to appeal to the International Court of Arbitration.