Who Will Be Held Accountable: Gas Cut-off is a Criminal Offense Carrying Prison Sentences!

There is no threat of a gas cut-off by Gazprom, nor is there any letter from Gazprom stating that gas supplies will be suspended if a certain amount is not paid, but BH-Gas persistently threatens a complete suspension of this energy supply, writes the Patria news agency.

Furthermore, there is no letter stating that gas supplies will be suspended if Bosnia and Herzegovina does not issue a guarantee for gas procurement. The threat actually arose based on a letter from BH-Gas, without any analysis by the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina or a decision on the protection of protected customers.

However, the Decree on the Organization and Regulation of the Gas Industry Sector stipulates:

The Decision on the Security of Natural Gas Supply, adopted in an urgent procedure by the Government of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the proposal of the minister, regulates, in accordance with this Decree, measures to ensure reliable and efficient energy supply for protected customers in the event of a crisis caused by the suspension of contracted gas supply through existing contractual relationships.

No act has been proposed to protect protected customers. A protected customer is a customer who has the right to be supplied with a sufficient amount of gas in the event of a partial disruption in gas supply and extremely low average daily air temperatures, but only in cases where there is no alternative energy supply solution, and belongs to the following categories: households, customers performing healthcare activities (including rehabilitation and patient care), educational activities and activities in the field of social care, customers purchasing gas for heating spaces intended for human accommodation (student dormitories, hotels, and other facilities used for overnight stays), customers purchasing gas for the production of thermal energy for heating the spaces of customers from the above categories, to the extent necessary for the production of that thermal energy, and system operators purchasing gas for their own consumption, i.e., for the operation of the gas system.

Additionally, that this is a criminal offense is evidenced by the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which prescribes Article 324: Destruction or Damage to Important Economic Facilities or Public Utilities

- Whoever, by demolition, arson, or in another manner, destroys or damages an important industrial, agricultural, or other economic facility, device, or plant for water, heat, gas, electricity, or other energy, communication system devices, or other devices for public use, thereby causing their stoppage or hindered operation, shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of one to ten years - the law states.

Furthermore, it states that whoever unlawfully removes or disconnects devices or plants from operation, thereby causing a disruption in the regular life of citizens, shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of six months to five years.

This concerns the unlawful disconnection of gas for consumers, households, hospitals, educational institutions, etc., who have no alternative and are not even obliged to pay for gas - says our source.