Gas Leak in the Government
// Officials are suspected of divulging state secrets to TNK-BP
Russian prosecutors have opened a criminal case against governmental officials who reportedly handed copies of documents with confidential information to TNK-BP. The Russian Prosecutor General’s Office said the divulging of the data may be used to harm Russian “national interests in the energy industry.” Presumably, the documents concern the project of creating a national gas exchange.
Russian Prosecutor General’s Office said Friday it had opened a criminal case on charges of divulging state secrets by state officials. Prosecutors report that officials from the governmental staff are under investigation in relation to the case. They are believed to have handed copies of documents with confidential information to a TNK-BP employee. Investigators, however, do not name the officials.
A source of Kommersant in the Russian government said the matter may be related to a staff employee who had been fired two months ago. Three more officials were involved in a scandal in early September. Leonid Bondarenko of the energy resources department was fired while Andrey Ryakhovsky and Valery Palkin of the record keeping department received reprimands. Bondarenko was detained in early September as he was handing a governmental draft related to investment policy in the energy industry to a TNK-BP employee. Russian Prosecutor General’s Office says these materials contained state secret information. The release of this information could have been used to jeopardize Russian “strategic interests in the energy industry”, prosecutors say.
Neither of the officials was available for comment yesterday. TNK-BP denied any involvement in the case or any other scandals like this.
Unofficial reports say that the case involves a draft resolution on holding an experiment on floating gas prices using exchange technologies. The bill says gas will be sold at an exchange for industrial consumers and energy companies. Russian Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko said Friday gas bids may be made at Mezhregiongaz.
The draft on the creation of the gas exchange was expected to be endorsed at a government session today. The Industry and Energy Ministry reported that it had been agreed on with all gas market participants, but governmental officials decided to consult major companies, including TNK-BP one more time.
Yuri Senatorov, Petr Netreba
All the Article in Russian as of Oct. 21, 2006
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