OMV Petrom rejects accusations about prejudicing the state with RON 7 bn

OMV Petrom strongly rejects the allegations of non-payment of obligations to the state, brought on Thursday during the meeting of the parliamentary commission for investigation of ANRE’s activity.

The officials of the largest oil and gas producer in Southeastern Europe point out that, over the years, the company has been the subject of several tax controls that have been finalized.

“Last fiscal control, targeting the oil and gas royalties for 2011-2015, was finalized without any findings in the second quarter of this year. OMV Petrom is the largest contributor to Romania’s state budget. The company always paid correctly and on time the obligations to the state budget, as evidenced by the tax certificates issued by the competent authorities,” a press release reads.

OMV Petrom talks about EUR 24.5 billion paid to the state, from 2005 to the present, as taxes, fees, social contributions and dividends, as well as EUR 13.5 billion in investments.

The major part of the investments focused on the production of crude oil, gas, fuel and electricity in Romania, thus contributing to maintaining a reduced degree of country’s dependence on energy imports, OMV Petrom notes.

“The company is listed on the Bucharest and London stock exchanges with local and international investors and such unfounded accusations may affect both the company and its shareholders, including the Romanian state,” the oil and gas producer also states.

these explanations come after BNS trade union leader Dumitru Costin presented a document at hearings in the parliamentary committee in which OMV Petrom has damaged the Romanian state by RON 7 billion, according to controls made by the Court of Accounts. Dumitru Costin stated that this amount has not been recovered since 2015 so far.

Later, President of the Committee for Industries of the Chamber of Deputies, Iulian Iancu, told journalists at the end of the hearings that it’s about damages due to non-payment of VAT, taxes on salaries, buildings, land, royalties.