KIEV, December 5. /TASS/. The economic court of Kiev has sustained the claim of the Ukrainian Anti-Monopoly Committee (UAMC) to Russia’s gas producer Gazprom on exacting a $3.4 bln fine and penalties in the same amount to the full extent, the regulator’s representative said following the court hearing on Monday.
"The court fully sustained the claim," he said, adding that the decision concerns both the principal sum of the fine amounting to $3.4 bln and penalties in the same amount.
On October 5, UAMC filed a lawsuit to the economic court of Kiev to oblige Gazprom to pay the fine and the penalty. In January, UAMC fined Gazprom 85.966 billion hryvnia (about $3.4 billion) "for the abuse of the monopoly position" on the market of natural gas transit through the Ukrainian gas transportation system in 2009-2015. The notice of the decision taken by the Anti-Monopoly Committee of Ukraine was sent to Gazprom on February 12.
The date of fulfilment of the demand expired on May 4. Gazprom disputed the decision of UAMC but the court rejected the appeal. All higher courts of Ukraine refused to uphold Gazprom’s complaint to declare the return of the appeal as illegal.