Nord Stream 2 agreements were assigned to a questionable setting.
The climate and environmental protection foundation started by an influential figure has faced substantial backlash. Now, another controversy has emerged: research shows that millions were paid to a firm related to a notorious secret service family.
MV Climate and Environmental Protection Foundation, which was established to defend businesses tied to Nord Stream 2 from US sanctions, gave building contracts for this project to an enterprise connected to the family of an ex-Uzbek secret service chief's family. Reportedly, this revelation was made public by "t-online", referring to the foundation's order list, relevant contract documents, and data from Germany, Russia, and Uzbekistan's commercial registers.
Rustam Inoyatov served as head of the National Security Service (NSS) in Uzbekistan from 1995 to 2018, but is now accused of systematic torture. He played a part in the 2005 Andijan massacre, where hundreds of defenceless protesters were slaughtered. After leaving his position as head of the secret service, he was an advisor to the Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev until November 2021. It was during this time that his son Sharif established a wide-ranging business network targeting gas and oil trade between Russia and Uzbekistan, among other activities.
Starting in 2021, the Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's State Foundation awarded multi-million dollar contracts to a Russian company known as "GC SIA LLC." Sharif Inoyatov and the firm's German owner and managing director are cited as being closely linked to each other in business. According to reports, the payments reached a total of 3.46 million euros. Several contracts, including one worth 1.5 million euros, are recorded. Major funding for the orders is credited to the state-owned Russian company Gazprom.
After being asked multiple times, neither the foundation nor the Russian company issued any statements regarding this incident. Manuela Schwesig, the Minister President of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and a member of the SPD, initiated the foundation, while Erwin Sellering, a former SPD Minister President, currently leads it.
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The controversy over payments to a firm linked to the Inoyatov family has added to the mounting criticism faced by Manuela Schwesig's climate and environmental protection foundation, given its involvement in the Nord Stream 2 project. Russia, being a key player in the Nord Stream 2 agreements, has been under scrutiny due to the 'Attack on Ukraine' and its alleged involvement in geopolitical gas projects.
Source: www.ntv.de
