Our Russia, CIS and CEE Group provides a wide range of BVI and Cayman Islands legal services to CIS and CEE clients, as well as to our international clients on CIS and CEE-related matters. Our Russia, CIS and CEE Group has Russian speakers located in London and the BVI who have substantial working experience in the region. We are the only offshore firm with an English-qualified, bilingual Russian contentious capability. We advise financial institutions, corporate, high net worth individuals and family offices.
Forbes Hare’s recent representative corporate work in Russia, CIS and CEE includes the following:
- Acted on the restructuring of a US$1 billion loan by Sberbank to the Polymetal group.
- Acted as lead offshore counsel on a RUR2.5 billion loan financing and related security package for a major Russian manufacturing group.
- Acted for the Moscow office of large US firm on a helicopter leasing transaction.
- Acted for Russian brokers and investment houses in connection with SIBA licensing applications in the British Virgin Islands.
- Acted as lead offshore counsel in connection with the acquisition of OJSC EFKO Foods, the majority owner of Russia’s major fat and oil agroholding entity.
- Acted for one of the Czech Republic’s largest investment and finance groups regarding BVI-law governed loan and security agreements.
On the contentious side, Forbes Hare’s lawyers have been involved with many of the largest and high profile disputes from the region since the late Nineties, including: Transworld, various disputes relating to the “Aluminium Wars”, Oily Rock (the Viktor Kozeny litigation), IPOC, Sibir v. Sibneft, BP-TNK, and OOO Lenta (Part 1 (2007-2008) and Part 2 (2010 – 2011)).
Current representative work includes:
- Acting for several of the successful defendants to the Arkhangelsky litigation: Forbes Hare acts for a number of BVI and Russian entities defending a conspiracy claim regarding assets in the Port of St Petersburg. Forbes Hare achieved the discharge of a freezing injunction with costs against the applicants, the staying of proceedings in the BVI and obtained an order for an inquiry as to damages.
- Acting for Ivane Chkartishvili, defending a claim brought by the representatives of the estate of Badri Patarkatsishvili relating to the ownership of an oil terminal in Georgia: the Claimant’s injunction was discharged and summary judgment granted to Forbes Hare’s client on the claim.
- Acting for Moscow-based private equity company defending proceedings alleging conspiracy to harm a Russian subsidiary of a joint venture company, and seeking relief under s184 I of the Business Companies Act 2004 in respect of the affairs of the joint venture company.