Taoiseach Michéal Martin has committed to reviewing the “concerning” findings of an Irish Times investigation that found links between Irish-made alumina and dozens of Russian weapons manufactures.
His comments came amid calls from Opposition members for a crackdown on exports of the material to Russia and a commitment by the Belgian government to close the “loophole” that allows alumina produced in Ireland to be exported to Russia.
The investigation, which was carried out in co-operation with the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project and other European outlets, found that the Aughinish Alumina plant in Co Limerick is shipping vast amounts of alumina to smelters in Russia where it is used to make aluminium.
This aluminium is then sold to a trading company, ASK, that supplies dozens of Russian arms manufacturers, according to leaked financial documents obtained by the investigation.
ASK sells aluminium to more than 100 companies that manufacture weapons and military equipment, including 40 companies directly sanctioned by the European Union.
Recipients of aluminium from ASK include the manufacturers of short-range ballistic missiles, which have caused hundreds of civilian deaths in Ukraine; Russia’s largest tank factory; and companies making components for Russian Sukhoi bombers and fighter jets.
Shipments of Irish-made alumina to Russia have increased significantly since 2020, despite the invasion of Ukraine and efforts to isolate Moscow on the international stage. Russia is now Aughinish’s single biggest customer.
It imported 68 per cent of the alumina produced at the plant last year, up from 23 per cent in 2020.
The Government has previously denied the plant plays any part in supplying material to Russia’s military industry.
“I would be concerned,” Martin said on Tuesday when asked about the findings. “Obviously that will be reviewed.”
He said Aughinish Alumina is important “not just from an Irish economic point of view but in terms of supply chains more generally across the European Union. It is a significant manufacturer in that regard.”
The export of alumina to Russia is not banned by the EU, despite the role it plays in military industry. Irish governments have lobbied extensively over the years for Rusal, Aughinish’s parent company, to be excluded from sanctions targeting Russia.
The Taoiseach said one of the objectives of sanctions is that they “do not end up harming the European Union economy or indeed the Irish economy unduly or to a greater degree than any damage to Russia”.
Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik called the findings “shocking”.
“I will be this week in the Dáil calling on the Taoiseach to institute a review of practices by Irish companies to ensure that sanctions are not being breached and to see how we can address this.
“The evidence that alumina produced in Limerick is entering into the Russian military supply chain into the war effort . . . I think that’s horrific and shocking.”
The Dublin Bay South TD noted the plant is not in breach of sanctions and is not selling directly to arms manufacturers.
How alumina from a Limerick refinery enters Russia’s weapons supply chain
“But I think the concern is that if there are ways in which Irish-produced materials are being used in the Russian war effort, then we need to stop that. I think it’s that simple.”
Her party colleague Ged Nash said the Government “must take a much closer interest in what’s happening at that plant and what the end use of that product is”.
“And if this is a conversation that needs to be had at European Union level as Russia continues to rain down ballistic missiles and drones on the civilian population of Ukraine . . . then I think we may need to look at reviewing those sanctions and what products and services are covered by those sanctions.”
Belgium’s minister for foreign affairs, Maxime Prévot said the investigation’s findings were “extremely disturbing” and said Belgium would call for “loopholes” in the sanctions regime to be closed.
“We cannot support Ukraine with billions of euros on the one hand, and on the other allow European raw materials to feed the Russian arms industry,” he told the Brussels-based outlet De Tijd, a partner in the investigation.
“The absolute priority must be to close the loopholes in our sanctions regime . . . Sanctions only work if they are applied strictly and consistently. It is a matter of credibility and responsibility towards Ukraine.”
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy said The Irish Times report was “deeply concerning”, saying that Aughinish Alumina had been “protected by the Government effectively acting for an oligarch”.
Minister for Culture Patrick O’Donovan told the Dáil in April 2022 that the plant was “not in any way connected to a war machine” and that it was “not connected, as some people might want to suggest, to any sort of Russian empire”.
Murphy on Monday accused O’Donovan of having misled the Dáil in his previous comments.
He said the Government accused his party of being soft on Russian president Vladimir Putin “when it appears that they’ve been representing the interests of a particular Russian oligarch. Capitalists, no matter where they come from, that’s who the Irish Government represents.”