Ukraine's Chief Auditor: Deals With RosUkrEnergo Illegal

KIEV, Ukraine -- The KRU, Ukraine's chief audit agency, has declared Ukrainian-Russian agreements signed since July 29, 2004, and giving Swiss-registered joint venture RosUkrEnergo exclusive rights to import natural gas in Ukraine illegal and has said it will ask the Justice Ministry to annul them.


"I will ask the Justice Ministry to use its best human resources to have these agreements declared void because their signature involved violations of Ukrainian legislation and Russian legislation," KRU chief Mykola Syvulsky told a high-level conference.

The conference, chaired by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, discussed the financial health of Ukrainian national oil and natural gas company Naftogaz.

Syvulsky argued that former Naftogaz top managers Yuriy Boyko and Ihor Voronin had overstepped their powers by putting their signatures to the agreements.

"We haven't been able to uncover any evidence showing that either Boyko or Voronin had such powers. Those people exceeded their powers and must be punished for this," Syvulsky said.

The KRU's findings were the result of an audit of Naftogaz, he said.

Source: Interfax