Copenhagen police announced Monday that the Danish government is suspending its investigation into the alleged “deliberate sabotage” of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in 2022, saying there were insufficient grounds to pursue a criminal case. did.
The gas leak in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines was discovered in late September 2022 from infrastructure just outside the territorial waters of Sweden and Denmark in the Baltic Sea.
Nord Stream 2 never entered service after Germany abolished the certification process in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia suspended Nord Stream 1 indefinitely in early September 2022, saying it was unable to repair the gas turbine due to Western sanctions.
An investigation launched by Swedish authorities concluded that the leak was the result of an explosion and possibly a “serious act of sabotage.”
But earlier this month, Swedish authorities concluded a preliminary investigation into the Nord Stream explosion, deciding they did not have jurisdiction to continue the investigation because it occurred in international waters and did not involve Swedish nationals. As a result, Sweden closed its investigation in early February.
Denmark also concluded its investigation on Monday, with Copenhagen police announcing in a statement: “The joint investigation between Copenhagen Police and the Danish Security Intelligence Service (PET) regarding the Nord Stream explosion has been concluded.”
Danish authorities have cooperated with relevant foreign partners throughout the investigation, Denmark said.
Police said, “As a result of the investigation, authorities concluded that there was an intentional sabotage of the gas pipeline.However, our assessment is that there are insufficient grounds to pursue a criminal case in Denmark.”
Apart from Denmark and Sweden, Germany is also investigating the Nord Stream explosion, but Berlin has not yet completed its own investigation into the sabotage. A government spokesperson told Reuters in early February that Germany remained interested in resolving the case. [if !supportLineBreakNewLine] [endif]
Written by Tsvetana Paraskova, Oilprice.com
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