MOSCOW, July 3 (RAPSI, Nikita Shiryayev) – The Tenth Commercial Court of Appeals has upheld a lower court’s order to collect 16.6 million rubles (about $283,000) from IKEA Centers Rus Property A in favor of Gazprom gazoraspredeleniye Voronezh, a subsidiary of Russia’s oil giant Gazprom, according to court records.

In April, the Moscow Commercial Court ordered IKEA Centers Rus Property A to pay a 16.6-million-ruble debt to the Gazprom subsidiary. Moreover, the court dismissed a counter claim filed by IKEA subsidiary seeking recovery of the unspent part sum of advance payment worth 6.7 million rubles ($114,000) under a distribution connection agreement plus 126,600 rubles ($2,200) of interest.

According to Gazprom gazoraspredeleniye Voronezh, on December 16, 2015, the company concluded a contract with the defendant. Under the agreement, the subsidiary of Gazprom assumed an obligation to carry out technological connection of IKEA’s capital construction projects in the Voronezh Region to its network. IKEA Centers Rus Property A in turn was obliged to pay services of providing connection and all accompanying expenses of the plaintiff.

The defendant paid over 7 million rubles (about $120,00) as a down payment. As Gazprom gazoraspredeleniye Voronezh incurred expenses totaling to 23.6 million rubles ($402,000), the defendant owed 16.6 million rubles to the plaintiff.
The court has accorded the plaintiff saying that the defendant has not introduced evidence supporting compensation for the Gazprom subsidiary’s expenses.