UPDATE: Kiev court orders Russia’s Gazprom pay $6.8 bln antimonopoly fine

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KIEV/MOSCOW, Dec 5 (PRIME) -- The Kiev Economic Court has obliged Russian gas giant Gazprom to pay 171.8 billion hryvnas, or U.S. $6.8 billion in a fine for abusing monopolist position on the country’s gas transit market and penalty for overdue payments, a representative of Ukraine’s antimonopoly committee told reporters on Monday.

“The court approved our claims in full,” the representative said.

Gazprom said in a statement that the company is studying different possibilities of further legal protection of its rights in Ukraine.

The committee imposed an 85.9 billion hryvna, or $3.4 billion, fine in 2015. Gazprom said it was baffled by the decision because it does not operate in Ukraine but concedes its gas to state energy holding Naftogaz Ukrainy on the border with Russia.

Gazprom challenged the ruling, but all Ukrainian courts dismissed its complaints.

On October 31, the antimonopoly committee doubled the fine. A representative for the antitrust authority said that Gazprom’s penalty for non-payment of the fine for 140 days amounts to 180.5 billion hryvnas under Ukrainian legislation, but the penalty for a jeopardized payment must not exceed the amount of the initial fine, which is why the antimonopoly committee asked the court to make Gazprom pay an 85.9 billion hryvna fine and an 85.9 billion hryvna penalty.

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