“A suitcase without a handle”: how the same prosecutor closes the Rotterdam+ case for the third time, and NABU prepares a complaint against Venediktova

Vitaliy Ponomarenko, the head of the group of prosecutors in the Rotterdam+ case, closed the proceedings for the third time, although the higher authorities – the prosecutors and the court – repeatedly canceled his decision.

It is reported by NABU on Facebook.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine announced that they would once again challenge the decision to close the Rotterdam + case. Now they will turn to the Prosecutor General Irina Venediktova. But now the appeal will not include "defending the case", but replacing the senior in the group of prosecutors. After all, prosecutor Ponomarenko, according to NABU, “resorts to any actions to prevent the case from being sent to the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court.”

Now NABU calls on Venediktova to turn to the bias and bias of the prosecutor, replacing him. Just why such issues are being resolved now, after five years of investigation and only after the third “cancellation” of the case, is unknown. But this is how NABU works.

“The totality of evidence in the proceedings is sufficient for the court to determine the validity of the accusations of causing multibillion-dollar losses to state and public interests in connection with the adoption and application of the Rotterdam + formula,” the NABU said.

The epic called "Rotterdam +"

On August 8, 2019, NABU was informed of suspicion by six individuals, including the former chairman and member of the National Commission for State Regulation in Energy and Utilities. They were charged with abuse and preliminary collusion with a group of other persons, which led to damage in the amount of 18 billion 868 million hryvnia in losses.

"Directly, the suspicion was handed over to 2 persons - the head of the energy market department of the NEURC and the current director of the State Enterprise Market Operator, who was a member of the NEURC during the introduction of Rotterdam +," the NABU reported.

In fact, the losses, as well as the abuse of power, were “side effects” of the “Rotterdam+” formula, which by that time had been in effect for three years and was the reason that millions of Ukrainians overpaid for gas.

Read also: VAKS finally closed the Rotterdam+ case

The formula itself fit into one regulatory act, which created conditions for an artificial increase in the price of selling electricity to the Wholesale Electricity Market, which caused damage to the state by 18,9 billion hryvnias.

Its essence was that the cost of coal in the production of coal-fired generation was calculated according to the formula "the cost of coal in the port of Rotterdam plus the cost of its delivery to Ukraine." It was she who led to losses, since Centrenergo, as well as Rinat Akhmetov's DTEK, began to sell electricity at a higher price.

The investigation dragged on for five years - from July 1, 2020, the formula has already lost its validity due to the transition to a new electricity market, and there is still no concrete decision on the case.

Since then, prosecutor Vitaliy Ponomarenko has been closing the case, SAPO is reopening it, and NABU is asking Prosecutor General Irina Venediktova to replace the head of the group of prosecutors in the proceedings.

By the way, the abolition of the formula did not affect Akhmetov's well-being in any way - while Zelensky "fighting the oligarchs" and speaks about it at the meetings of the National Security and Defense Council, they continue to increase their fortune in 2021.