Viada LT, a Lithuanian petrol station chain operator, has said it will terminate its station management contract with Amic Lietuva (formerly known as Lukoil Baltija), if reports about the group’s links with Russia are confirmed.
Ukraine’s Economic Security Bureau has recently opened an investigation into Amic Energy amid allegations of possible tax evasion, alleging that the beneficiaries and officials involved in the sale of fuel and oils are connected and that their real owners are Russian citizens.
“Although the information has not been confirmed by the Ukrainian authorities, we have turned to Amic Lietuva, asking it to clarify the public reports. We have informed our partners that if the allegations are confirmed, we will initiate the contract termination procedure,” Viada CEO Linas Vytautas Karlavicius said in a statement.
While the investigation is ongoing, a Ukrainian court has decided to temporarily restrict the rights of Amic Ukraine’s shareholders and seize the company’s assets. Also, the government of Austria, where Amic is based, has been involved in the investigation.
Viada pointed out that in March, when public concerns over possible links with Russian oil company Lukoil emerged, it asked Amic Energy to identify any direct or indirect links with Russia, but was told then there were none.
In June, the Lithuanian government’s special commission vetting strategic enterprises’ transactions found no reason to conclude that Viada and its affiliate Baltic Petroleum did not meet the country’s national security interest.
In the spring of 2016, Austria’s Amic Energy Management bought 100% of Lukoil Baltija from the Netherlands’ Lukoil Europe Holding. The Austrian company took over the management of around 230 petrol station networks in Lithuania, Latvia and Poland, and their management in Lithuania and Latvia were taken over by Luktarna and Viada Baltija, both companies linked to businessman Ivan Paleicik. (LRT/Business World Magazine)
