MOSCOW, March 7. /TASS/. A lawsuit filed by Gazprom in the Commercial Court of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region against Polish companies Orlen and EuRoPol GAZ s.a., the owner of the Polish section of the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline, involves claims worth over $930 mln, according to court files.

The defendants also include audit firm Ernst & Young Global Limited and Ernst & Young Sp. z o.o. Corporate Finance. In particular, the Russian gas giant is suing to recover $710 mln and 886 mln Polish zlotys (over $224 mln) from the defendants.

The court is scheduled to convene a hearing on the case on April 10.

In November 2023, the Commercial Court of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region awarded over $1.5 bln in penalties to be paid to Gazprom Export by EuRoPol GAZ until the latter entity complied with a Russian court’s prohibition on continuing arbitration proceedings in Stockholm. Earlier, the Russian court found in favor of Gazprom Export in the latter’s lawsuit to prohibit EuRoPol GAZ from pursuing its international arbitration case at the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (SCCAI).

Earlier, EuRoPol GAZ filed an arbitration claim at the SCCAI against Gazprom for 6 bln zlotys (over $1.4 bln). EuRoPol GAZ, which is responsible for gas transit, filed the arbitration claim to recover about 850 mln zlotys (approximately $220 mln) in outstanding debts for gas transportation from Gazprom. EuRoPol GAZ also intends to claim an additional amount of more than 5 bln zlotys (approximately $1.2 bln) from Gazprom for "lost profits" due to the fact that the latter "is not currently sending Russian gas."

Gazprom halted supplies of natural gas to Poland more than a year ago as Poland refused to pay for gas supplied in rubles. Last October, Polish energy company Orlen announced that it had assumed management of EuRoPol GAZ.

EuRoPol GAZ is a joint venture between Gazprom and Polish company PGNiG, which owns the Polish section of the Yamal-Europe gas pipeline. At the same time, the operator of this section of the pipeline, as well as of Poland’s entire gas transmission system, is the Polish company Gaz-System. Last November, Poland placed Gazprom’s equity stake in EuRoPol GAZ under a form of receivership called "forced administration" because the Russian company had been sanctioned by the Polish government.