MOSCOW, December 24 – RAPSI. The Moscow Commercial Court will hear once more on January 17 Rosneft's lawsuit against the Federal Service for Financial Markets' order obligating the company to provide the minutes of its board meetings to minority shareholder Alexei Navalny, the court spokesperson told the Russian Legal Information Agency on Monday.

Earlier, the court considered the watchdog's appeal and dismissed the judicial acts of the lower instances.

In July 2010, the watchdog found Rosneft's refusal to provide Navalny with the board's documents in violation of the law. It ordered Rosneft to provide the minority shareholder with the requested documents. Rosneft appealed the watchdog's resolutions with the Moscow Commercial Court.

In April 2012, the court upheld the company's lawsuit, finding the watchdog's orders unlawful.

The Ninth Commercial Court of Appeals upheld the first-instance court's ruling.

The Moscow Commercial Court held that the minority shareholder was not entitled to access the board's protocols in full, as he owned less than 25 percent of the shares. Rosneft's board of directors underscored that issues of extended competence are only accessible to shareholders owning over 25 percent of the shares in the company in accordance with the company's confidentiality policy.

In April 2011, Navalny asked Rosneft for copies of seven contracts concluded as part of a major oil supply deal with China. He later submitted a similar request to the company in October. Among the requested documents are contracts for a $15 billion loan issued to Rosneft by the China Development Bank and a 20-year crude oil supply contract with the China National Petroleum Corporation.