Paris is not worth the mass

Former Yukos shareholders abandoned the claim for the arrest and seizure of a land plot from Russia in Paris, which is under construction of the Russian Duration Cultural Center. This was reported by RBC with reference to the representative of GML, representing the interests of the plaintiffs.

Such a decision, the lawyer explained, is explained by "changed circumstances." What is this circumstances, he did not specify.

The GML representative added that the company will monitor the use of the site in the future. Lawyers do not exclude that they will file a new lawsuit about the attachment to the asset if it turns out that it is used for commercial purposes: in this case, the court can remove diplomatic immunity from the site.

The first information on the refusal of the shareholders of the Yukos was transmitted from his claims on Monday evening Interfax, citing Andrei Kondakov, the head of the International Center for Legal Protection, representing the interests of Russia in the dispute. Kondakov, in an interview with the agency, also did not exclude that plaintiffs can also abandon other claims, as well as to go to a full review of claims in some countries.

However, RBC was assured at GML that the shareholders of the Yukos did not respond to any other lawsuits and "continue to work on the identification and recovery of other property of the Russian Federation in France."

On April 28, the French court rejected the lawsuit of the former shareholders of the Yukos on the termination of the construction of the Russian Center. The court took into account the argument of the defendant’s lawyer that diplomatic immunity was applied to the building being built.

As the representative of the Russian side noted, the plaintiffs can appeal, but "from a practical point of view, it will not have the point, since by the time it is consideration of construction work will already be completed."

The consideration of the claim for the arrest of the site on which the Russian Center is being built, and its seizure in favor of the plaintiffs was scheduled for September 29. The representative of Russia and in this matter intended to build protection on the fact that diplomatic immunity was spreading to Earth under the center.

The opening of the center is scheduled for October.

Permission to erect the Center for Paris authorities gave Russia in December 2013 . Next year construction began. The center should include the Orthodox Church, the seminary, the library and the conference room. It is built on a plot of land about 4 thousand square meters.

This site was purchased in 2010 by the Presidential Affairs Department. The amount of the transaction, according to some information, amounted to about 60 million euros. When asked about the cost of construction, the head of the department Vladimir Kozhin previously responded, noting only that the work was supposed to be financed from both state and private funds.

The decision on the lawsuit of the former shareholders of the Yukos issued in July 2014 the arbitration court in the Hague. About 50 billion dollars were recovered from Russia. However, Moscow did not start paying to the plaintiffs, so the penalties were turned to Russian property in Western countries.

Russia's assets in France were arrested in June 2015. Moscow appealed the arrests of property to the Paris appeal, but in December lost the trial.