A FUEL company caught up in an alleged petrol scam said it had nothing to do with the case and it was them who blew the whistle, which led to seven arrests so far.
Police are also seeking a former Lukoil official – dismissed three years ago — in connection with the case.
Since the scammers were busted, Lukoil has seen its customer base negatively affected, it said.
“We reported the incidents to the police and the Commerce and Industry Ministry and asked that all necessary measures are taken,” said Lukoil Cyprus CEO Sergey Fedortsov.
He said technicians had discovered the pumps at a Nicosia filling station had been tampered with on March 22 and immediately ordered checks on all its outlets, which uncovered irregularities at a second station in Larnaca.
Authorities said the pumps had been rigged with electronic mechanisms that regulated the flow of fuel, giving out 5.0 per cent less fuel per litre bought.
Authorities were then led to two more stations – in Nicosia and Paphos — that belong to a different company, Total Plus.
Lukoil had been supplying both Total Plus stations with fuel, but that was as far as the relationship went, according to Lukoil legal adviser Kyriacos Kousios.
“It is the only relation we had, nothing else. It is within the framework of normal commercial relations,” Kousios said.
All four stations are linked to one of the seven suspects currently in custody. Authorities are also seeking Lukoil’s former general manager for questioning after witnesses told police he was seen at the stations under investigation.
Kousios said the former official had been dismissed three years ago and had “absolutely no relation with the company.”
In fact, relations between the two sides were bad, Kousios added.
It is understood that police are looking to issue European and international arrest warrants for the man.
The company said it has been cooperating closely with the authorities, providing them with every assistance.
“We understand that the specific incidents at our stations have affected our company’s activity negatively, but we are sure that at the end of the day the honest and immediate manner with which we handled the situation will be recognised and supported by consumers,” Fedortsov said.
The company’s legal adviser said that it was not clear when exactly the mechanisms had been installed.
It is suspected that the leftover fuel at the two Lukoil outlets was siphoned and transported to the Total Plus stations where it was sold.
One of the Lukoil stations was managed by the company directly – its manager is in custody — while the other was operated under licence.
Meanwhile, the consumer association advised people who have receipts from the stations in question to keep them so that they can claim compensation if the suspects are convicted.
