A few lawsuits were filed to the arbitration courts late past week to challenge loans that Luxembourg Yukos Capital S.a.r.l. granted in 2004 to Yukos subsidiaries, which are currently controlled by Rosneft.
If nine loan agreements are acknowledged null and void, Rosneft won’t pay roughly 20 billion rubles to Yukos Capital that the latter is attempting to enforce via the International Commercial Arbitration.
Some Vesta Co. filed four suits to Moscow Arbitration on August 9, 2007. Acting on behalf of Rosneft, Vesta is seeking invalidation for four loan agreements worth $450 million that Yukos Capital and Yuganskneftegaz concluded in July to August of 2004. Rosneft is the legal successor to Yuganskneftegaz.
On September 19, 2006, the International Commercial Arbitration of Russia’s Chamber of Commerce ruled to charge from Rosneft roughly 13 billion rubles (with accrued interest taken into account) in favor of Yukos Capital.
On May 18, 2007, however, the award was annulled by Moscow Arbitration, and the Moscow Region’s Court of Cassation backed up cancellation on July 26, 2007.
But the Amsterdam Court upheld that verdict of the International Commercial Arbitration and to avoid paying Rosneft needs a favorable award of the RF Supreme Arbitration Court. The latter, however, tends to oppose lower courts should they challenge awards of the International Commercial Arbitration.
Yukos Capital granted loans not only to Yuganskneftegaz, but also to Tomskneft VNK and Samaraneftegaz (Yukos used to own 100 percent in them). Rosneft subsidiary, Neft-Aktiv, acquired Tomskneft and Samaraneftegaz in May, empowering Yukos to go to the International Commercial Arbitration for their debts as well.
Rosneft Buys YUKOS Brand Name
Rosneft bought Lot No. 18 of YUKOS assets at auction yesterday for 18.58 billion rubles, 0.5 percent over the starting price. The only competitor for the lot, OOO Benefit, was willing to pay only the starting price and did not make any bids. Lot No. 18 consisted of all of Lot No. 16, which there were no bids for at about 10 billion rubles, plus YUKOS trade marks on petroleum products.
Lot no. 16 consisted of the railway operator YUKOS Transservice, a share in ZAO KAFA (a joint Russian-Ukrainian petroleum product transshipment company), the Armenian-registered OOO YUKOS CIS Investments and 0.0015 percent in Kuibyshevnefteorgsintez.
The value of the YUKOS brand name is hard to assess. The financial condition of a company is considered in such estimates, as well as its reputation. YUKOS' reputation in Russia may not correspond to its reputation in the West.
Rosneft has not yet decided what to do with the brand.
Owning the brand name protects the state-owned company from having to pay royalties on it or being forced to rename the YUKOS filling stations it owns. A YUKOS source told Kommersant that the YUKOS filling stations bought by Rosneft in several lots will be renamed and redesigned in any case.
If nine loan agreements are acknowledged null and void, Rosneft won’t pay roughly 20 billion rubles to Yukos Capital that the latter is attempting to enforce via the International Commercial Arbitration.
Some Vesta Co. filed four suits to Moscow Arbitration on August 9, 2007. Acting on behalf of Rosneft, Vesta is seeking invalidation for four loan agreements worth $450 million that Yukos Capital and Yuganskneftegaz concluded in July to August of 2004. Rosneft is the legal successor to Yuganskneftegaz.On September 19, 2006, the International Commercial Arbitration of Russia’s Chamber of Commerce ruled to charge from Rosneft roughly 13 billion rubles (with accrued interest taken into account) in favor of Yukos Capital.
On May 18, 2007, however, the award was annulled by Moscow Arbitration, and the Moscow Region’s Court of Cassation backed up cancellation on July 26, 2007.But the Amsterdam Court upheld that verdict of the International Commercial Arbitration and to avoid paying Rosneft needs a favorable award of the RF Supreme Arbitration Court. The latter, however, tends to oppose lower courts should they challenge awards of the International Commercial Arbitration.
Yukos Capital granted loans not only to Yuganskneftegaz, but also to Tomskneft VNK and Samaraneftegaz (Yukos used to own 100 percent in them). Rosneft subsidiary, Neft-Aktiv, acquired Tomskneft and Samaraneftegaz in May, empowering Yukos to go to the International Commercial Arbitration for their debts as well.
Rosneft Buys YUKOS Brand NameRosneft bought Lot No. 18 of YUKOS assets at auction yesterday for 18.58 billion rubles, 0.5 percent over the starting price. The only competitor for the lot, OOO Benefit, was willing to pay only the starting price and did not make any bids. Lot No. 18 consisted of all of Lot No. 16, which there were no bids for at about 10 billion rubles, plus YUKOS trade marks on petroleum products.
Lot no. 16 consisted of the railway operator YUKOS Transservice, a share in ZAO KAFA (a joint Russian-Ukrainian petroleum product transshipment company), the Armenian-registered OOO YUKOS CIS Investments and 0.0015 percent in Kuibyshevnefteorgsintez.
The value of the YUKOS brand name is hard to assess. The financial condition of a company is considered in such estimates, as well as its reputation. YUKOS' reputation in Russia may not correspond to its reputation in the West.
Rosneft has not yet decided what to do with the brand.Owning the brand name protects the state-owned company from having to pay royalties on it or being forced to rename the YUKOS filling stations it owns. A YUKOS source told Kommersant that the YUKOS filling stations bought by Rosneft in several lots will be renamed and redesigned in any case.
Via: Kommersant
