Germany's largest gas importer sponsored a lavish gala dinner, despite a $15-billion government bailout

Villa Necchi Campiglio, Milan, Italy. picture alliance / FOTOGRAMMA | Francesco Bozzo

• Uniper, Germany's largest gas importer, was recently bailed out by the country's government.
• The German government bought a 30% stake for 15 billion euros amid Europe's energy crisis.
• But the company just spent six figures sponsoring a lavish gala dinner at a "stunning" Milan villa.

This is an edited, translated version of an article that originally appeared on September 9, 2022.

Germany's largest gas importer Uniper sponsored a luxury gala dinner despite a 15-billion euro bailout –around $15 billion – from its government in the midst of the energy crisis.

After Russia severely restricted the gas it was supplying to Europe, the German government bought a 30% stake in Uniper in July for 15 billion euros, in what Reuters reported was one of the biggest bailouts in the country's history.

The company, which reported a net less of 12 billion euros in the first half of 2022, has already requested a further 4 billion euros from the government.

Despite this, Uniper was a "platinum" sponsor for the annual Gastech exhibition and conference, held this year in Milan from September 5 to 8 and sponsored its gala dinner at the Villa Necchi Campiglio.

The villa is described by its owners, the non-profit Fondo Ambiente Italiano, as "an icon of '30s deco in the heart of Milan."

When it's not being used for events, the villa acts as a museum, containing numerous artworks and beautiful gardens. 

Another view of the villa. De Simone Lorenzo/AGF/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Gastech's Twitter account posted a message thanking Uniper for sponsoring the "prestigious" dinner at the "stunning venue." The tweet has since been deleted.

A now-deleted tweet from the Gastech account thanking Uniper for sponsoring its gala dinner. Twitter

Sponsoring the gala dinner cost £150,000, according to a brochure promoting Gastech's sponsorship opportunities. It also says this is the cost of platinum sponsorship, the second highest level of sponsorship after the £175,000 "diamond" sponsorship.

According to a now-deleted LinkedIn post from the event's account, seen by Insider, Uniper CEO Klaus-Dieter Maubach personally greeted attendees at the start of the gala dinner.

Uniper has not yet responded to requests for comment from Insider.