A new stage in the cases about spurious deliveries of equipment by a group of companies, operations of which are affiliated with cronies of Viktor Yanukovych, has resulted in the arrest of accounts and blocking of operations of JSC Ukrtransgaz, the subsidiary of national joint-stock company Naftogaz Ukrainy, which is responsible for gas transit, the state-owned enterprise (SOE) reported on Friday.

"This situation is another episode of a complex of lawsuits and opened criminal proceedings in the struggle of Ukrtransgaz with the attempts of unscrupulous suppliers to collect funds for allegedly supplied equipment for repair of Ukrainian gas transportation facilities in 2011-2013," the company said.

The company reminded that these are lawsuits filed by affiliated companies Turbolinks LLC, Turbotrade LLC and Prominvestavtomatika LLC.

Ukrtransgaz said that the State Enforcement Service of the Ministry of Justice, in pursuance of the decision made under the claim of Turbotrade LLC, blocked the accounts of the company and its branch Ukrgazenergoservis, which were used to service protected items - payment of salaries and the provision of the Framework Agreement between Ukraine and the IBRD on technical assistance grants.

The SOE said that previous unlawful attempts to arrest the accounts were unsuccessful due to the active position of the leadership of the Prosecutor General's Office, but now Ukrtransgaz again asks the Justice Ministry, the Cabinet of Ministers, the Prosecutor General's Office and the Presidential Administration to protect the company.

Ukrtransgaz said that in the past five years Turbotrade LLC has been attempting to collect UAH 46.44 million of debt for the equipment allegedly supplied in 2012 and a fine of UAH 45.67 million.