A French court has dismissed charges of war crimes complicity against French oil company TotalEnergies, accused of helping to produce fuel for Russian warplanes that have bombed Ukraine.
France’s anti-terrorism prosecutors confirmed Monday that the complaint filed by a French and a Ukrainian NGO had been closed after an "exhaustive legal and factual analysis of all the elements submitted by the complainants and, at its own initiative, TotalEnergies".
In October, the France-based Darwin Climax Coalition and Ukrainian group Razom We Stand filed the complaint arguing that TotalEnergies’ stake in a company that exploited a Russian natural gas field means it is connected to fuel production for the Russian army, which is bombing Ukraine, and therefore TotalEnergies is complicit in war crimes.
Continuing to do business in Russia
Until last year, TotalEnergies held a 49 per cent stake in Terneftegaz, which extracts gas from the Termokarstovoye field in northern Russia.
The other 51 percent was held by Russian company Novatek, in which TotalEnergies owns a 19.4 per cent stake.
The French daily Le Monde reported that Termokarstovoye is a source of natural gas condensates, a liquid fuel used make jet fuel, which was supplied to Russian airbases near the Ukrainian border.
TotalEnergies had vehemently contested the allegations, saying it was not “producing kerosene for the Russian army” and that all of the gas condensates had been exported abroad.
The company called the allegations outrageous, unfounded and defamatory, and later revealed that it had negotiated to sell its shares of Terneftegaz to Novatek, which was finalised in September.
Difficult to prove complicity
The court said there not enough evidence to show that TotalEnergies was complicit in war crimes.
Lawyers for the two NGOs said they plan to appeal the decision, and they accused prosecutors of bowing to political pressure.
Prosecutors responded saying they "never hesitate to open investigations against companies when there are sufficient elements to suspect their involvement in international crimes".
(with wires)
