UPDATE: Bashkortostan court yet to register Rosneft’s suit against Sistema

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UFA/MOSCOW, May 11 (PRIME) -- The Arbitration Court of the republic of Bashkortostan will issue information on a 106.6 billion ruble suit filed by oil major Rosneft against multi-industry holding Sistema, which it has not yet registered, on May 15, spokeswoman Kseniya Gabdyusheva told PRIME on Thursday.

“We cannot confirm the information on registration of the Rosneft suit as the procedure of suit distribution in the arbitration court is done in several stages, and we decide whether the suit will be approved and which judge will hear it during five working days. We will be able to give you full information next Monday,” Gabdyusheva said.

She also said that the court has several suits filed by Rosneft, but she is unaware about the matter of these suits.

On Wednesday, the Moscow Arbitration Court returned without consideration the suit, in which Rosneft sought to recover an alleged loss from Sistema and its unit Sistema-Invest, which Rosneft believes were involved in asset stripping in Bashneft in 2009–2014, when they owned a controlling stake.

Rosneft said it sees this court decision as technical and is waiting for an answer from the court in the Bashkortostan’s city of Ufa, where it had sent a similar lawsuit against Sistema.

Sistema said previously in a statement that it sees the claims as illegal and ungrounded.

A Bashneft source told PRIME that Rosneft is still studying all corporate decisions made by Sistema when it owned a controlling stake in Bashneft, and has prepared documents that will be enough for the court to launch proceedings over the 106.6 billion ruble suit.

(58.0824 rubles – U.S. $1)

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