Sistema CEO declines to comment on meeting with Rosneft CEO

MOSCOW, Dec 22 (PRIME) -- Chairman of the board of directors of multi-industry holding Sistema and its key owner Vladimir Yevtushenkov declined to comment on his meeting with Russian oil major Rosneft’s CEO Igor Sechin, which reportedly took place on Thursday.

“I cannot, I cannot, tomorrow,” he said.

Earlier in December, Rosneft and Bashneft filed a suit against Sistema and Sistema-Invest seeking redemption of 131.6 billion rubles. The claimants said they want Sistema to repay dividends that it received from Bashneft in 2009–2014 when it was a controlling shareholder of the company.

In August, the court partially satisfied a 170.6 billion ruble suit filed by Rosneft, Bashneft and Bashkortostan to charge Sistema and Sistema-Invest for the losses allegedly caused to Bashneft in 2014 during its reorganization. Sistema was ordered to repay 136.3 billion rubles, but it challenged the decision.

On Monday, the 18th Arbitration Court of Appeals located in the city of Chelyabinsk upheld the lower court’s ruling ordering Sistema to repay 136.6 billion rubles.

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