UPDATE: Spox: Siemens sues those involved in turbine supply to Crimea

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BERLIN/YEKATERINBURG/MOSCOW, Jul 11 (PRIME) -- German holding Siemens has filed lawsuits in Moscow against people involved in its alleged supplies of its turbines to Crimea, spokesman Wolfram Trost told PRIME on Tuesday.

A Siemens source said earlier that according to information from reliable sources, at least two of the four turbines provided by the holding for a Russian power station on the Taman Peninsula were sent to Crimea in violation of a prohibition to reship to Crimea that was explicitly stated in the contract.

Trost said, “As a result of this, Siemens initiated a criminal investigation against those in charge. Furthermore, Siemens sued to cancel any additional supplies to Crimea and return of the already sold equipment to its initial destination place, Taman. The cases were filed in Moscow.”

He did not disclose whether the cases are against people or companies.

Reuters reported last week that Russia delivered turbines made by Siemens’ Russian joint venture to Crimea, which is subject to European sanctions barring E.U. companies from selling power equipment.

The Moscow Arbitration Court has registered the suit filed by Siemens Aktiengesellschaft against Technopromexport, part of Russian state industrial corporation Rostec, and against an affiliate of Siemens, according to the court’s materials.

But Siemens representative Philipp Encz said that the German company has no proof that the turbines located in Crimea are produced by Siemens.

“We have reason to believe that these turbines are ours. It would act as evidence if I go there personally, look at the turbines and see that they are owned by Siemens by their identification numbers. But the circumstances and the way everything looks like…We have reason to believe that these turbines are the same that we supplied to Taman,” Encz said.

Russian Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov told reporters that the thermal power plants in Crimea will be equipped with turbines produced in Russia with some share of foreign parts.

“Speaking of the turbines that will be placed in Crimea – we have repeatedly said that they will use Russian technologies and we assured our Western colleagues that these turbines will be produced in Russia. Yes, they will use some elements produced abroad, but they will be Russian turbines and they will have a Russian certificate,” he said.

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