Kyiv's Solomiansky District Court allowed detention of Dmytro Vovk, former Chairman of the National Energy and Utilities Regulatory Commission (NEURC) in the Rotterdam+ case. This was reported by Artem Sytnyk, Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), Interfax-Ukraine reports.

"As of today, there is a court order granting detention," the NABU Director said.

Sytnyk explained that when it comes to international search, the issues of detention and of arrest are raised separately.
The NABU Director also added that, according to anti-corruption authorities, Vovk is currently abroad, and a court decision is required to launch the international search procedure.

Vovk's lawyer Iryna Odynets could not confirm this information. "I have no information on this matter," she said in a comment to Ukrainian Energy.

"We have not yet received a court decision. After receiving and studying it we will make a decision on further defense", Vovk commented on Sytnyk’s statement.

Vovk accused NABU of detectives “going to court after their overwhelming defeat and getting the decisions they need “on the quiet” and without legal opponents.”

It is to be recalled that in August the NABU detectives served charge papers on six persons involved in Rotterdam+ case, including Dmytro Vovk. Vovk stated that the investigation was of political nature and refused to come to Ukraine for questioning.

The Rotterdam+ case has been investigated in the bureau since 2017 together with prosecutors of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) and staff of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). Detectives suspect that since 2015, the private power generation company of thermal power plants has been putting pressure on NEURC in order for the Commission to include in the TPP electricity tariff the costs of delivery and transshipment of coal to Ukraine from ports in Europe.

In 2016, NEURC adopted a resolution on the calculation of the wholesale market price (WMP) of electricity, in which it decided to use API2+delivery index for the calculation of coal prices for TPPs (average cost of coal at the port of Rotterdam for the last 12 months plus the cost of its delivery to Ukraine). This calculation was called Rotterdam+.

Since July 2019, the Rotterdam+ formula has not been applied in Ukraine. However, detectives believe that it has caused damage to businesses and consumers to the amount of almost UAH 19 billion.