The Iași City Hall lost the lawsuit against Vitol, giving up on recovering 16.5 million dollars without explanation.

The Iași City Hall lost by default the lawsuit filed against the company Vitol, which supplied coal for the CET during the winter season 2022-2023. The lawsuit, registered in November 2022, had a stake of 16.5 million dollars, an amount that the municipality was claiming from Vitol. Two weeks before the court date, the City Hall announced, through a letter signed by Mayor Mihai Chirica, that it was withdrawing from the lawsuit without providing an explanation.

Representatives of the City Hall avoided commenting, suggesting that their lawyers had asked them not to make statements. The contract with Vitol, concluded in August 2022, stipulated the delivery of 140,000 tons of energy coal, but the price increased significantly, reaching 414.89 dollars/ton. The City Hall was required to pay an advance of 16 million dollars before delivery, and the negotiations were unfavorable for the municipality. This situation was exacerbated by the rising prices caused by the invasion of Ukraine.