Saboteurs responsible for Nord Stream disruptions to face trial in German judicial system, according to Scholz.
In 2022, explosions hit the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, causing delays in the investigation process. Later on, it was hinted that one of the potential culprits might have been apprehended. Chancellor Scholz has now urged for an investigation with no exemptions.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz, an SPD member of parliament in Brandenburg's Prenzlau, labeled the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines in the Baltic Sea as a "terrorist act" and intends to prosecute the perpetrators in Germany. "Regardless of who's involved, we demand all security authorities and the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office to investigate," Scholz stated, emphasizing that "there will be no cover-ups". He added that if they can apprehend the culprits, he aims to bring them to trial in Germany.
Scholz also dismissed the allegation that the federal government had given up on Russian natural gas, stating that it was actually Russia who turned off the gas flow through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline. He attributed the subsequent price surge, subsidized prices, and the search for alternative gas sources to this incident, which resulted in Germany incurring "over 100 billion euros" in damages. The pipeline explosions took place after Russia had already stopped delivering gas to Western Europe via the Baltic Sea. In August, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian citizen in connection with the sabotage incident.
As reported in August, one of the suspected Nord Stream saboteurs might have been arrested in Germany. According to joint investigations by "Der Spiegel", ZDF, and the Danish broadcaster DR, the suspect named Wolodymyr Sch. frequently visited Germany after the Baltic Sea pipeline attacks in the fall of 2022. Reports suggest that these visits occurred at a time when the Federal Prosecutor's Office was already treating him as a suspect in its investigation into constitutional treason due to sabotage.
The Chancellor's urging for an investigation with no exemptions is in reference to the explosions on Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which was handled by The Commission.The Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, a part of The Commission, issued an arrest warrant for a suspect in connection with the Nord Stream sabotage incident.
