OREANDA-NEWS  On 05 March was announced, that Ukrainian State Customs Service cleared Russian gas exceptionally within legal field. The First Vice Prime Minister Olexandr Turchynov informed during a briefing at the Cabinet of Ministers while commenting on recent events joined to illegal detention of a customs officer and searches in the Naftogaz of Ukraine.

“Naftogas of Ukraine, the State Customs Service were acting exceptionally in the interests of our country, exceptionally within the legal field and got customs clearance of gas on the basis of the signed with Russian Gazprom deals,” Olexandr Turchynov emphasized. At this, he disclosed in the end of February the Customs Service jointly with the Naftogaz of Ukraine started customs clearance of Russian gas received according to the concluded contracts, including 11 cubic metres of gas handed over to the Naftogas NJSC that belonged to a mediator structure, RosUkrEnergo”. He added, at the account of this procedure UAH 1.5 bn had been directed to the State Budget.

The First Vice Prime Minister emphasized the moment clearance procedure commenced, colossal pressure on customs service started. According to him, targeting disruption of respective funds to be transferred to the Customs Service electricity shutdown took place.

Together with that Olexandr Turchynov, on analyzing recent events with the Naftogaz, emphasized: “We can not exclude when people violate the law, the Constitution, ruled by their own corruption interests, they can rig, they can try to destroy originals of gas contracts. It is a serious danger, and especially if such situation occurs not on a random day, but on the eve of settling accounts with the Russian Gazprom, so an attempt to seize originals of the documents can lead to disruption of payments that are made on the basis of the originals of the documents”.

The First Vice Premier stressed all these provocative actions are being held with an aim to preserve corruption schemes on gas market of Ukraine, managed by a criminal group.