Shale Gas Licensing Scandal in Poland
The head of the Department of Geology and Geological Concessions at the Ministry of Environment is amongst six individuals detained in connection with the alleged corruption concerning exploratory licenses.
The remaining five are two officials working at the department and three representatives of companies, controlled by the Petrolinvest S.A.
A seventh person, an employee of the Polish Geological Institute, was placed under police supervision.
Natural Gas Europe learned unofficially that this person worked at the Central Geological Archives, maintaining and providing maps and drilling cores.
The Internal Security Agency (ABW) declined to comment but the prosecutor’s office revealed that the investigation concerns the alleged bribes of tens of thousands of zlotys and that it has been under way for months.
According to a previous statement issued by the deputy public prosecutor Waldemar Tyl, charges against officials “relate to article 228 of the Penal Code and could be punished by imprisonment from 6 months to 8 years”.
Both the Ministry of Environment and Petrolinvest S.A. have declared their full cooperation with prosecutors.
According to the Ministry of Environment press office, the Department of Geology and Geological Concessions continues to undertake their activities as usual.
Minister Rafal Korolec appointed an acting head of the Department and launched an internal investigation by the Audit and Control Office.
Bertrand Le Guern, the chairman of Petrolinvest, issued a special statement underlining that a potential trial will not slow the company’s exploratory works.
The Petrolinvest group holds 9 licenses via its subsidiaries Silurian and Silurian Energy in addition to 4 licenses of EcoEnergy, in which Petrolinvest has 40% interest.
The combined acreage reaches almost 10.000 sq. kms, situated mainly in the Masuria region in the North, Silesia in the South and in the Lubelskie region.
The company has recently announced preparations for entering the AIM, the alternative LSE market, with joint-venture Silurian Halwood, created last year with US based Hallwood Energy Group and Tabacchi Enterprises.