KIEV, July 12 - A former senior official at Naftogaz Ukrayiny was taken into custody for two months as the authorities investigate confiscation of 11 billion cubic meters of natural gas from RosUkrEnergo in 2009.

Ihor Didenko, a former first deputy head of Naftogaz and an ally of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, will be kept in custody for the investigation, according to court ruling on Monday.

This is the second arrest of a former senior Ukrainian official over the past several weeks in connection with an investigation into natural gas agreements with Russia.