You're reading: Court extends arrest of Didenko until March 10

Kyiv Court of Appeals has extended the arrest of former deputy CEO of the national gas company Naftogaz Ukrainy Ihor Didenko to eight months and a day, which is until March 10, 2011.

The court made this decision on Feb.7, Didenko’s lawyer Yuriy Hryhorenko told journalists

The investigator also asked the court to limit the time for studying the case by the defendant and his lawyer, but the court turned down this request.

As reported, on December 9, Kyiv Court of Appeals extended the arrest of Didenko until January 10, 2011.

On June 8, the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce obliged Naftogaz Ukrainy to return 11 billion cubic meters of gas to RosUkrEnergo and pay it a fine in commodity form of 1.1 billion cubic meters of gas in line with its contract.

The Security Service of Ukraine completed its pre-trial investigation into a criminal case against officials of NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy and the State Customs Service on the unlawful seizure of gas belonging to Swiss-based gas trader RosUkrEnergo and the illegal customs clearance of the gas in February-March 2009.

During the investigation, enough evidence was gathered to confirm the guilt of the defendants, according to the SBU. At present, the defendants and their lawyers are getting acquainted with the materials of the case to fulfil the requirements of Articles 218-220 of the Criminal and Procedural Code of Ukraine, and after this the case will go to court.

So far, Didenko, former Head of the State Customs Service of Ukraine Anatoliy Makarenko and former chief of the Energy Regional Customs, Taras Shepitko, have been arrested in relation to the case.

The pre-trial investigations into the criminal case against Didenko was completed in early February.

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