Siemens has announced that it will press criminal charges against an unnamed Russian company for moving at least two of its gas turbine sets to Crimea against its will.
The German manufacturer said that it had delivered a total of four gas turbine sets in Russia for a project in Taman.
Siemens stated that it had previously taken in writing from the Russian customer that the turbines would not be delivered to Crimea which faces sanctions from the European Union. However, the German firm has come to know about the development from its sources which has prompted it to take action against the responsible individuals.
Calling the development to be a clear breach of its delivery contracts, Siemens said that it will file lawsuits to prevent any further deliveries to Crimea. It will also seek for the removal of the previously dispatched equipment to Crimea and get them back to Taman where they were intended to be installed as per the contract.
The German technology giant will also pursue for a reversal of the deal it made with the Russian firm while stating: “Siemens insists categorically on full compliance with all export control restrictions for itself and also at its partners and customers. In addition, Siemens is evaluating what additional actions are possible.”
The manufacturer added that it has ordered its internal taskforce to investigate all of its entities and relevant partners in Russia to make sure that no equipment is dispatched or any services provided that can potentially breach export control restrictions.
Interautomatika, in which Siemens has a minority stake, would also be included in the investigations. It said that all the relevant activities that Interautomatika has with respect to Crimea have been immediately scrapped which has been confirmed in writing.