Russia had challenged whether a Geneva arbitration court was competent to hear the case brought by the financial arm of Yukos, an independent Russian oil firm that was dismantled and absorbed by the state-held Rosneft.
The court rejected that argument, which was predicated on Russia’s parliament having ultimately rejected the energy charter treaty that governs cross-border energy trading and investments.
The verdict was handed down by the Federal Court in August but could only be published on Monday.
The case was but one part of a vast legal saga concerning the dismantlement of Yukos.
Kremlin critic
The company broke up in the early 2000s after the arrest of its former owner, the Kremlin critic and ex-tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and Rosneft came away with most of its assets following a murky auction process.
Khodorkovsky had become a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, spent a decade in jail before he was pardoned in 2013 and allowed to go into exile. He lives in Britain.
A case brought by Yukos investors has been bouncing around the Dutch courts, with the supreme court last year scrapping an order for Russia to pay $50 billion and sending it back to lower courts.
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Leading Russian opposition figures criticise Switzerland
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They accuse the country of still hiding behind neutrality and granting Putin’s confidants too many loopholes.
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Plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit are claiming that Switzerland prioritised national interest over its legal obligation to bondholders.
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Most Swiss people are planning at least one holiday this year in spite of rising costs and inflation, according to a study.
Italian busted smuggling alcohol in milk and shampoo bottles into Switzerland
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An Italian motorhome driver has been caught trying to smuggle 135 litres of pure alcohol disguised in various bottles into Switzerland.
Swiss debate double-barrelled names for spouses and registered partners
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A reform to the country’s naming laws could permit married couples and registered partners to have a double-barrelled surname again in future.
SWISS CEO admits mistakes were made during pandemic
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At the end of his tenure, Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) CEO Dieter Vranckx is not all positive, admitting mistakes were made.
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Leonid Nevzlin: ‘Swiss Banks must choose – money or decency’
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Former energy magnate Leonid Nevzlin on western sanctions against Russia and Switzerland's role in the war against Ukraine.
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The visa allows him to travel freely within the 26-nation Schengen area, which includes Switzerland and much of the European Union, but not Britain. Citing data and privacy protection, the embassy provided no further information. The 50-year-old Kremlin critic, whose wife and children live in Switzerland, flew to Berlin on December 20, hours after being…
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