A Lithuanian court has dismissed a case in which the Russian oil group Rosneft sought restitution for real estate transactions of Mogita, a Kaunas-based oil wholesaler undergoing bankruptcy proceedings.
On January 23, the Kaunas Regional Court ruled that the legal assistance provided to the Russian company during the proceedings would harm Lithuania’s security and sovereignty. The court pointed out that Rosneft is directly controlled by the Russian government and, in the context of the war in Ukraine, assistance to Russia would run counter to EU and Lithuanian values.
“In the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine, any assistance to the state waging the war would also run counter the fundamental principles of EU law Lithuania accepted as part of its EU membership, and, therefore, the applicant cannot be granted legal aid in the case at hand,” the court stated.
Rosneft had asked the court to annul the sale and purchase agreements signed in 2019 between Mogita and two individuals that concerned a warehouse in Kaunas and a land plot in Vilnius District. This way, Rosneft sought to recover a debt of 190,000 euros from Mogita.
However, Mogita’s representatives asked the court to drop the case because Rosneft’s CEO Igor Sechin is under EU sanctions, and legal assistance to the Russian group could pose a threat to Lithuania’s sovereignty and security.
In its lawsuit, Rosneft claimed that the company that sold the properties owes it 6.9 million roubles under the ruling of the International Commercial Arbitration Court at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation, which has been recognised and is being enforced in Lithuania.
In September, the Lithuanian Court of Appeals ruled that Mogita must pay the Russian company 183,000 euros in debt and 6,600 euros in legal costs.
Newsletter
Every Friday morning.
