Ukraine: Antitrust investigation into Gazprom

Ukraine’s antitrust committee has started an investigation into Russian energy giant Gazprom over a possible violation of the Ukrainian competition legislation, said head of the committee Nikolay Barash.

“Consider that we started an investigation,” said Barash quoted by Ukrainski Novyny. He added that the maximum fine could be 10 percent of Gazprom’s annual turnover for the violations should the company is found guilty. Gazprom has not commented.

At the end of April, the Ukrainian cabinet asked the antitrust committee to initiate an investigation into Gazprom. Prime Minister Arseny Yatsenyuk said on May 1 the company “operates on discriminatory, non-competitive conditions and inflicts damage on the Ukrainian economy.”

Naftogaz has claims against Gazprom over the contract of gas purchases and transit exceeding $16 billion in the Stockholm arbitration court, he said, adding that the Ukrainian authorities had asked the European Union to conduct a joint investigation into Gazprom’s monopoly in the EU and Ukraine.

Full content: RT

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