The French oil group TotalEnergies, accused of complicity in war crimes, saw the complaint against it be dismissed, AFP learned on Monday January 16.

The National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor's Office (Pnat), competent for the investigation of war crimes, confirmed this classification. 

The lawyers for the plaintiff NGOs indicated, in a press release, having learned on January 10 that the Pnat had closed their complaint filed on behalf of the Darwin Climax Coalition associations – specializing in human rights and the defense of populations affected by industrial predation – and Razom we stand – a Ukrainian organization calling for an embargo on fossil fuel imports from Russia.

They say they want to "contest" before the Attorney General of the Paris Court of Appeal this classification for an "insufficiently characterized" offense.

Masters William Bourdon, Vincent Brengarth and Henri Thulliez "firmly contest the assessment made by the prosecution (...), inspired by exclusively political considerations".

For them, "no one can doubt the political will, especially in the current economic and political context, to spare Total".

"The prosecution of war criminals and their collaborators who may be responsible for violations of the law must not be left to Ukrainian victims of war or to civil society," said Svitlana Romanko, director of Razom We Stand, in the press release.

"Manifestly unfounded accusations"

The Pnat told AFP that it had made its classification decision "after an in-depth analysis, both legal and factual, of all the elements transmitted by the complainants and, on their own initiative, by TotalEnergies".

And to add that he "never hesitated to open investigations targeting legal persons when there was sufficient evidence to suspect their possible involvement in international crimes", saying that he refused "any controversy relating to manifestly unfounded accusations".

At the time of the revelation of this complaint, in mid-October, the French energy giant had denounced "outrageous", "defamatory" and "unfounded" accusations.

The complaint, consulted by AFP, recalled that TotalEnergies held until September 49% of the Terneftegaz joint venture, which operates the Termokarstovoye deposit, in the Russian Far North.

The remaining 51% was held by Novatek, number two in Russian gas, of which TotalEnergies is also a 19.4% shareholder.

However, according to Le Monde, the Termokarstovoie field supplied gas condensate to a refinery which turned it into fuel then shipped to supply Russian planes engaged in the conflict in Ukraine, at least until July.

The French energy giant, criticized for its maintenance in Russia, had assured that it produced "no kerosene for the Russian army".

Two days later, he said he had reached an agreement in July to sell his 49% in Terneftegaz to Novatek, a sale finalized in September.

For the plaintiffs, "by continuing to exploit the Termokarstovoye deposit" after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, TotalEnergies had "contributed to providing the Russian government with the means necessary for the commission of war crimes" in this country.

With AFP

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