Debt for gas supplies: court fully satisfies Naftogaz’s claim against private company
29 January 21:30
The Commercial Court of Chernivtsi Region ruled to recover UAH 386.46 million in debt from Chernivtsigaz Zbut in favor of Naftogaz of Ukraine for natural gas supplied. This was reported by ExPro, as relayed by Komersant.
This debt was incurred between 2018 and 2020.
The decision was made after considering a lawsuit filed by the state-owned company, which claimed that the private gas supplier had not paid in full for the supplies.
The essence of the dispute
The court found that, in accordance with the agreement of November 2018, Naftogaz of Ukraine supplied Chernivtsigaz Zbutu with natural gas worth approximately UAH 1.98 billion over two years.
According to the case materials, the buyer paid approximately UAH 1.59 billion, while the remaining amount — UAH 386.46 million — remained unpaid.
The court noted that the defendant did not provide evidence of full or partial repayment of this debt.
Arguments of the parties in court
Representatives of Chernivtsigaz Zbutu referred to the possibility of settling the debt in accordance with special legislation. However, the court rejected these arguments, noting that:
- no debt restructuring agreements had been concluded;
- the parties did not conduct mutual settlements;
- the debt had not actually been repaid.
The court’s decision emphasizes that Naftogaz of Ukraine fulfilled its obligations under the contract in full, while the private company violated the terms of the settlement. As a result, the claim was satisfied in full.
Chernivtsigaz Zbut disagreed with the decision and filed an appeal. Thus, the final decision in the case has not yet been made — its further fate will be determined by a higher court.
Who is behind the company
According to public records, the owner of Chernivtsigaz Zbut LLC is Serhiy Hryhorenko, and the director is Andriy Makeev.
If the appellate court upholds the decision of the court of first instance, Chernivtsigaz Zbut will be required to pay the debt in full. At the same time, the appeal process could delay the enforcement of the decision for months.
