MOSCOW, December 16 (RAPSI) – Russia’s Energy Ministry and Rosneft announced at a hearing in the Supreme Court that they settled a dispute over customs duties that totaled 60 billion rubles ($924.3 million), RIA Novosti reported on Friday.
Earlier the Ministry of Energy and Rosnedra refused to provide necessary documents to Rosneft that would allow the company to obtain customs exemptions for exporting oil from Verkhnechonskneftegaz (VCNG) field in 2012-2013.
According to government entities, both Rosneft and VCNG failed to get documents in time.
The companies have filed lawsuits with the Moscow Commercial Court. In June 2015, the court dismissed the appeals filed by the companies, but an appeal court and a regional court overruled that decision and ruled in favor of Rosneft.
In May, the Supreme Court of Russia upheld the lower courts’ rulings that ordered the Ministry of Energy to provide Rosneft with confirmation of the fact that the corporation was exporting oil from the field under the application of the customs exemptions. Thus, the Ministry’s appeal seeking to review the case was dismissed.
Verkhnechonskneftegaz is a company created in 2012 which is in charge of developing Verkhnechonsk oil field in the Irkutsk Region. VCNG is also an operator for 7 Rosneft’s licensed sectors in the Irkutsk Region and Krasnoyarsk Krai.