MOSCOW, August 19 (RAPSI) – The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) is going to sue Gazprom seeking to make the Russian company pay a 85 billion hryvna ($3.4 billion) fine it imposed on the natural gas producer this January alleging violations of the Ukrainian and EU laws on protection of competition, Ukrainian news agency UNIAN reports on Friday.

UNIAN quotes Yuri Terentyev, the AMCU Head, as saying that at present Gazprom is making efforts to battle this decision in courts. Nevertheless, according to Terentyev, “… there is an AMCU decision, a fine is imposed, the decision shall be enforced. If it is not complied with, we will turn to courts.” At the same time, the head of the antimonopoly agency could not provide the exact date, when the claim could be lodged.

Gazprom had been fined by the Antimonopoly Committee for abuse of its dominant position on the gas transit market. At that time, the company was ordered to pay the fine until April 12. According to a company’s representative, this fine was unexpected since the firm was not engaged in business activity within the Ukrainian territory. Gazprom states that natural gas is being sold to Naftogaz on the Russian-Ukrainian border.

In April the Russian company appealed the fine in the Kiev Commercial Court but the complaint was returned to the plaintiff without hearing. In May, the Kiev Commercial Court of Appeal upheld this decision, and in June the Ukrainian Supreme Economic Court has upheld the lower courts’ rulings.