The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office has conducted searches at premises in Berlin and an associated company in Frankfurt am Main, in connection with the former energy group, Gazprom Germania. The search operations were carried out based on orders from the investigating judge of the Federal Court of Justice, according to the Karlsruhe-based authority.
The investigation is currently focused on a suspect, a Russian national, who is suspected of aiding violations of investment regulations under the Foreign Trade Act and of attempting unconstitutional sabotage.
The background for the inquiry centers on the liquidation of Gazprom Germania. This operation followed its separation from the Russian Gazprom conglomerate in late March 2022, after which it was sold to a Moscow-based company. This acquiring entity ordered the liquidation of Gazprom Germania GmbH without obtaining the necessary approval from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. At the time of this alleged illegal liquidation, Gazprom Germania controlled at least 25 percent of Germany’s gas storage capacities.
It is suspected that the sale and subsequent liquidation were intended to disrupt Germany’s gas supply. Although the suspect allegedly supported the implementation of the liquidation decree, the execution was successfully halted by the Federal Network Agency through an order for temporary trusteeship of Gazprom Germania GmbH. The Customs Criminal Police Department is leading the investigation, and no arrests have been made so far.
