MOSCOW, February 15 - RAPSI. A commercial court has dismissed banker Sergei Yarmolinsky's lawsuit against Mezhprombank in their dispute over $3 billion.
Yarmolinsky demanded to invalidate an amendment to a deposit agreement dated July 1994, reducing the deposit interest rate to zero.
According to Yarmolinsky he, deposited 3,226 rubles ($100) at 130 percent per annum in Mezhprombank in February 1994. The interest was to be charged on a quarterly basis. However, Yarmolinsky alleges that the bank never charged interest on the deposit. In 2003, he attempted to withdraw his money, but the bank refused to release the funds.
Mezhprombank is represented in the lawsuit by its bankruptcy administrator, the Deposit Insurance Agency (DIA).
The Moscow District Federal Commercial Court upheld in November 2011 court judgments, refusing to enter Yarmolinsky's 91.829 billion ($3 billion) claims into Mezhprombank's schedule of accounts payable.
The DIA only included Yarmolinsky's claims of 5,726 rubles ($150).
Media earlier reported that Yarmolinsky is a renowned banker. He was a Guta Bank vice president and a MMC Norilsk Nickel deputy general director.
The court revoked Mezhprombank's license on October 5. It recognized the bank as bankrupt in November. Valery Miroshnikov, the DIA's first deputy head, said the only loan granted by Mezhprombank that is likely to be repaid is a 3 billion ruble ($94.1 million) loan secured by shares in the Sukhoi aircraft holding company. The bank's debt totals 82 billion rubles ($2.5 billion), of which 32 billion rubles ($984 million) is a secured loan granted by the Central Bank.