Energy Minister Yuriy Boyko, presidential administration head Serhiy Lyovochkin, former State Security Service of Ukraine head, as-of-today Minister of Finance, Valeriy Khoroshkovsky, and RosUkrEnergo part-owner Dmytro Firtash have many times been accused by Ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and others of large-scale corruption and conflicts of interest in the natural gas trade.
"Ex-Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, repeating accusations she made while in power, alleged on Sept. 6 [2010] that all four men are business associates in either the gas trade or in media holdings, making it a massive conflict of interest for these government officials to be involved in decisions that could transfer $5 billion worth of the state's natural gas supplies back to RosUkrEnergo, 45 percent owned by Firtash. " [Source]
And yet: "According to government figures, Ostchem, a company through which he [Firtash] has consolidated control over much of Ukraine’s chemical business, imported with Russian permission about 5 billion cubic meters of Central Asian gas in 2011. Moreover, sources close to Firtash claim it imports the gas at significantly lower prices than the blue fuel that goes through Naftogaz. These are privileges that few have and it has yet to be explained why Russia would give these favors to Firtash."[Read more]
As Interfax recently reported: "According to the Central Dispatching Department of the Fuel and Energy Complex (CDU TEK), Ukraine imported 44.7 bcm of natural gas in 2011 - Ukraine's national oil and gas company Naftogaz Ukrainy received 39.175 bcm, and independent importer Ostchem Holding, which belongs to Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash, imported 5.53 bcm of Turkmen gas."
How can Ukraine possibly get a fair deal on gas when it's chief negotiators with Gazprom are involved in such a massive inside deal?
As for Khoroshkovsky, who was appointed by presidential decree - he and the RUE faction will now be working ever closer with 'the Yanukovych Family' for their further mutual self-enrichment.
The 'metallurgical wing' of PoR is being well looked after too, in case they get jealous...
No comments:
Post a Comment