An arbitration tribunal in Paris has recognized jurisdiction to consider the lawsuit filed by National Energy Company Ukrenergo against Russia over assets in the temporarily occupied Crimea, Ukrenergo said on Tuesday, UNN reports.
Details
"One step closer to justice. On August 5, the arbitration tribunal in Paris, appointed to hear the case by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, ruled in favor of Ukrenergo, recognizing that the court has jurisdiction to consider the dispute," the company said on social media.
This means, as reported, that "as a result, the Arbitration Tribunal will hear and decide on the claims of Ukrenergo filed by the company against the Russian Federation in 2019.
"The decision to dismiss the complaints of the Russians finally opens the way for the case to be considered on the merits. Unlike other similar cases involving claims of Ukrainian companies against the aggressor state, Russia is actively involved in the court at the request of Ukrenergo: representatives of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office are present during the tribunal's sessions," the company said.
It took 11 months for the arbitrators to analyze the parties' arguments and make their decision on the jurisdiction of the case.
"We are now preparing for the next stages of the trial. We understand that this path will be long and quite difficult. But in the end, the aggressor will pay every last penny for the damage caused to the Ukrainian power system," Ukrenergo emphasized.
Addendum
As indicated, these are lawsuits in which Ukrenergo demands that Russia pay compensation for illegally expropriated energy assets and investments in Crimea. In particular, these are 17 substations and more than 1300 kilometers of power lines. The total amount of damage caused by the occupiers is estimated at 527 million euros.
NPC Ukrenergo filed a lawsuit with the International Arbitration Tribunal in 2019. At the end of 2020, the case began to be considered.