Companies@UA: База компаний Украины

Kyiv, July 31 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The Higher Economic Court of Ukraine has upheld the imposition of a UAH 200,000 fine on OJSC Poltavaoblenergo, an electricity supply company, by the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine for misuse of monopoly on the electricity market, reads a press release of the committee issued on Thursday.

The release says that Poltavaoblenergo appealed to Kyiv Economic Court, where the company challenged a committee decision of June 30, 2006 imposing a UAH 200,000 fine on the company for creating obstacles to other economic entities' access to the electricity supply market, which led to limits on competition.

On May 21, 2008, Kyiv Economic Court did not satisfy the company's appeal. The company challenge the ruling in Kyiv Economic Court of Appeals, which on March 3, 2009 upheld the Kyiv Economic Court ruling.

On July 21, 2009, Higher Economic Court of Ukraine backed the ruling of Kyiv Economic Court of Appeals. The company will have to pay the fine and another fine for not paying the first fine on time.

"This confirms the appropriateness of the Antimonopoly Committee's conclusions on the necessity to take measures by the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to settle contract relations between regional electricity supply companies and electricity suppliers under a non-regulated tariff," the press service said, citing the acting committee head, Oleksandr Melnychenko.

Melnychenko said that if Poltavaoblenergo fails to pay the fine, the committee would ask law-enforcement bodies to force the company to pay the fine.