Aughinish Alumina investigation to be completed within weeks, Taoiseach says

By Bairbre Holmes, Press Association

An investigation into reports of products from the Aughinish Alumina refinery being used in Russia’s war effort should be complete within weeks, the Taoiseach has said.

Micheál Martin was speaking to the media at University College Cork on Thursday during a visit by the European Commission to Ireland to mark the start of the country’s EU presidency.

The Limerick-based plant is Europe’s largest supplier of alumina and has a Russian parent company.

An investigation by The Irish Times and the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), published in March, reported that alumina from the Limerick plant is sent to Russian smelters, where it is converted into aluminium used to supply manufacturers of the missiles, tanks and aircraft used against Ukraine.

The Department of Enterprise and Trade is carrying out an investigation into the reports and Mr Martin was asked if the investigation will be completed before the Dáil’s summer break in two weeks time.

“I would hope so within the next number of weeks,” he said, “and then we will engage with the Commission.”

He added that there are “a number of other issues paralleled with the investigation in terms of the importance of Aughinish, and other raw material that comes out of Aughinish, to European industry.”

Europe has never put alumina on the sanctions list, he continued, “so there are wider issues that have to be bottomed out”.

He said those would be discussed with the Commission when the investigation is complete.

Ireland took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union on Wednesday; it was marked by a ceremony at Dublin Castle which was attended by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

In his address, he criticised Russian-owned companies in Europe and called for new European sanctions to tackle Russian shadow fleets and “the tools Putin still relies on to keep this war going”.

He said these included “companies in European countries whose only purpose is to work for Russia”.

“Unfortunately, there are companies in Europe that are owned or effectively controlled by Russia and its sanctioned oligarchs,” he said.

“They keep supplying the aggressor with essential materials, even now.”

Zelensky and Martin met following the ceremony, and in a post-meeting press conference the Taoiseach was asked if he could assure the Ukrainian president that steps would be taken to prevent further shipments of alumina from Ireland to Russia.

Martin said the two men had “a good discussion on that specific issue” and that the investigation aimed to get “the full facts surrounding the entirety of this issue”.

Speaking through a translator, the Ukrainian president said he had engaged “very substantially” with Mr Martin on the issue.

He said he is grateful Ireland is “conducting the relevant investigations”.

“We very much hope for a positive result for us in this investigation,” he added, “and we do hope that we will not have to wait for it for months”.