UPDATE 2: Court to consider Sistema, Rosneft amicable deal Tue

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MOSCOW, Dec 25 (PRIME) -- The Arbitration Court of the republic of Bashkortostan will consider an amicable settlement of the disputes between multi-industry holding Sistema, its affiliate Sistema-Invest, oil companies Rosneft and Bashneft, and Bashkortostan on Tuesday, court representative Ksenia Gabdyusheva told PRIME on Monday.

The companies announced signing the amicable agreement late on December 22 and filed an application to the court earlier on Monday.

Sistema said in a statement: “The peaceful settlement envisages payment of 100 billion rubles by Sistema and Sistema-Invest in favor of Bashneft, discontinuation of all executive proceedings and lifting of restrictive measures under the claims due to the dispute… and other court disputes arising from ownership by Sistema and/or Sistema-Invest of Bashneft and/or its affiliates, and on lifting of arrest and restrictions on the assets of Sistema and Sistema-Invest arising from the disputes.”

Sistema’s shares grew more than 20% at the opening on the Moscow Exchange on Monday on the settlement news.

Sistema will pay the sum no later than March 30, 2018 with support by the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Sberbank.

In August, Bashkortostan’s Arbitration Court partially satisfied a 170.6 billion ruble suit filed by Rosneft, Bashneft and Bashkortostan, where Bashneft is located, to charge Sistema and its affiliate Sistema-Invest for the losses allegedly caused to Bashneft in 2014 during its reorganization. In 2014, Sistema was the core owner of Bashneft. Sistema was ordered to repay 136.3 billion rubles, both sides contested the decision.

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. Sistema filed a 330.4 billion ruble suit against Bashneft and Rosneft to the Moscow Arbitration Court.

Spokesman for the president Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin hopes the settlement deal terms will be implemented without troubles. “Attainment of a certain kind of a peace agreement is an important achievement in fulfillment of the attained agreements. We hope that their fulfillment will also take place without troubles of any kind.”

(58.3152 rubles – U.S. $1)

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