CZECH BILLIONAIRE IS NEW OWNER OF GNF – ECONOMY MINISTER

Owner and ultimate beneficiary of the company Duet Private Equity Limited, which bought the companies Red Union Fenosa and Gas Natural Fenosa Supply Energy from the Spanish energy group Naturgy, is Czech billionaire Jiri Smejc, reported Minister of Economy and Infrastructure Vadim Brinzan at the Tuesday’s press conference.

“We established the ultimate beneficiary. He is holding 80% of these investments”, Brinzan said.

The minister said that the new owner of the company, which ensures electricity supply to the considerable part of Moldovan consumers, signed an agreement with the state, which obliges him not to alienate the Gas Union Fenosa assets without the agreement of the Moldovan Supreme Security Council.

“In this way, we protected ourselves from the situation when this asset may remain in hands of suspicious and unwanted investors”, Brinzan said.

He stressed that the Economy Ministry will insist that an equivalent agreement to be signed with the new owner of the Avia Invest company, which is administrating the Chisinau International Airport.