Brussels court removes arrest of property of Russian companies

MOSCOW, Jun 9 (PRIME) -- The court of Brussels has removed all arrests of property of Russian companies in Belgium, including newswires RIA Novosti and ITAR-TASS, head of the International Center for Legal Protection Andrey Kondakov told PRIME on Friday.

“The court in Brussels has removed arrests of everything… property (of Russian companies) in Belgium, including assets of RIA Novosti and ITAR-TASS, which were imposed under a case by former shareholders of Yukos,” Kondakov said.

In July 2014, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in Hague ruled that the Russian government must pay U.S. $50 billion compensation to Group Menatep Limited, which unites former Yukos owners. Russia refused to fulfill the court order, and the shareholders sent claims to several countries, asking to help with the fulfillment of the court order.

Russian assets seizures began in France and Belgium, and the Russian government contested them.

In 2003, the Russian government accused management of then major oil company Yukos of economic crimes. Several company officials were sentenced to prison for fraud and tax evasion. Its core owner, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, was charged with several consequential sentences and spent 10 years in prison before he was pardoned by President Vladimir Putin. The company later declared bankruptcy, and its assets were sold to state-owned oil major Rosneft.

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