Officers from the Romanian Organized Crime and Terrorism Department (DIICOT) are conducting searches on Monday at the addresses of the Serbian company NIS Petrol, which is controlled by Russia’s Gazprom.
According to European Truth, this is reported by Radio România Actualităţi and Opinia Timisoarei, citing sources.
Searches are being carried out at five NIS Petrol addresses in the city of Timisoara and three more in Bucharest, where the company’s head office is located, as well as at the homes of some employees “in order to collect documents and other evidence in the case.”
The network has already posted a video showing representatives of the Romanian law enforcement agencies near the office of NIS Petrol in Timisoara. The Serbian company has not yet commented on the situation.
According to Romanian media sources, the searches are related to the illegal transfer of confidential information about the exploration of oil and gas fields in Timis County since 2014. Eight representatives of NIS Petrol are expected to be taken to DIICOT headquarters for questioning.
NIS Petrol is a Serbian oil company that operates in Southeast Europe and is part of the Russian group Gazprom Neft.
In 2014, the company began oil and gas exploration at several sites in the Timishsky district. Representatives of NIS Petrol then stated that they were conducting exploration without explosives, using controlled vibration produced by the hydraulic system.