Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said on Tuesday that no scandal was shaking Croatia after USKOK investigators arrived at the headquarters of state-owned power provider HEP as part of an investigation into the sales of surplus gas supplies.

Plenkovic said that the government’s policy during the energy crisis was to ensure affordable energy products for households and the enterprise sector against a backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine 18 months ago.

During this unprecedented energy crisis, the government’s policy was to ensure energy security both in terms of the provision of energy and affordability of prices for our households, for our economy, hospitals, senior citizens’ homes, kindergartens, schools, local government and for all, Plenkovic said in Split.

HEP has been an instrument for the implementation of the government’s policy in addressing the energy crisis and its unprecedented consequences, Plenkovic said, adding that if the government had not intervened, electricity and gas bills would have been five times higher in the last year and a half.

As for the sales of gas supplies at lower prices than at which HEP had purchased gas, Plenkovic said that the authorities “are waiting for reports from all the actors and when we compile them we will see where and if there has been any problem”.

The premier dismissed the claims by the Nacional weekly that he had lied about the gas sale scandal.

Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said that the police were conducting preliminary investigations at the request of the Office for the Suppression of Corruption and Organised Crime (USKOK ) concerning the gas sale by HEP.

The government will analyse all the relevant reports, the minister said.