Allegations of fictitious sale
Following the announcement of the agreement to sell Lukoil-Ukraine CFI to Amic Energy in 2014, some commentators suggested that the real owner of the network in fact remained Lukoil, which was doing so to protect its Ukrainian assets from possible sanctions. The media also drew attention to the fact that the Amic Energy company was only registered in Austria in 2013 and that Amic Energy's authorized capital at the time of its foundation was only €35,000, which journalists believed could indicate that it was a shell company. In response to these allegations, Günter Maier, CEO of Amic Energy, stated at a press conference in Kyiv in September 2014 that the purchase was not fictitious and was not being carried out in the interests of Lukoil or Lukoil shareholders: "I can confirm that the assets are being acquired only in the interests of three Amic shareholders and at their own expense."
Similarly, following Amic Energy's 2016 acquisition of the Lukoil petrol station network in Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, the Polish newspaper Puls Biznesu claimed that "the same Lukoil is hiding under the new brand, which thus wants to circumvent the boycott of European consumers who do not want to buy petrol from the Russians". In February 2022, Amic Polska declared that its "network of 116 Polish Amic Energy petrol stations is not linked by capital to the Lukoil company or other business organizations of the Russian Federation". In response to similar concerns in Lithuania, in March 2016 UAB Amic Lietuva submitted the conclusion by the Republic of Lithuania's Commission for assessment of conformity of potential participants to national security interests, which certified that Amic Energy complies with the interests of Lithuania's national security.
Accusations of ESBU
In August 2022, the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine (ESBU) announced the initiation of the seizure of 308 assets of the Amic Ukraine CFI network, totaling over ₴50 million (€1.3 million) in corporate rights. In particular, the ESBU accused the company of tax evasion and maintaining links with Russia. Amic Energy responded by calling both accusations "unfounded and baseless" and claimed that ESBU's actions were evidence of "deliberate illegal pressure on a foreign investor".
Günter Maier, the ultimate beneficial owner and managing director of Amic Energy, denied all allegations against the company at a press conference in Kyiv in September 2022. He announced that Amic Ukraine had appealed to the Court of Appeal to overturn the decision on the seizure of assets in Ukraine and would defend its rights at the national level and turn to international institutions if necessary. The Austrian Ambassador to Ukraine, Arad Benkö, called on the Ukrainian authorities to take proportionate measures that do not hinder business as long as no guilt is proven and stated that the Austrian embassy would closely follow the investigation.
In May 2023, the preliminary report of the temporary investigative commission of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's national parliament), following the review of a number of complaints, including from Amic Ukraine, stated possible violations by ESBU, including violation of the presumption of innocence in public comments. Despite the investigation, in February 2023, Amic Ukraine CFI won the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine’s tenders for the supply of diesel fuel and motor gasoline, resulting in corresponding contracts being signed and fulfilled between Amic Ukraine and the ESBU. In 2024, the ESBU territorial offices in Kyiv and the Kyiv region also recognized Amic Ukraine as the winner of its fuel supply tenders.
As of April 2025, a pre-trial investigation was ongoing in the ESBU case against Amic Ukraine, and a temporary seizure of the company’s assets remained in effect. According to Amic Energy’s shareholders, in 2023 Amic Ukraine underwent a documentary tax audit, which found none of the violations alleged by the ESBU. The company stated that it had already proven its non-involvement in two of the four charges and expected the case to be fully closed.
