On Thursday, the court will examine an appeal against the appointment of external administrators to run Yukos until it paid off its debts. It will also look into state-owned oil company Rosneft's right to claim $482 million in debts from the former oil giant during its ongoing bankruptcy case.
The court will also consider an earlier court ruling rejecting the transfer of the bankruptcy case to the arbitration court in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Area in West Siberia, where Yukos was registered. The ban on Yukos asset transactions worth over 30 million rubles ($1.09mln) will also be on the court's agenda.
Moscow Arbitration Court appointed March 28 Edward Rebgun from the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs as temporary external manager to oversee Yukos during its bankruptcy case.
It also upheld a request by Yukos' foreign creditor banks that Rosneft should act as a claimant in the bankruptcy case. The consortium of creditor banks led by Paris-based Societe Generale SA said March 15 they had reassigned the Yukos debt to Rosneft.
The consortium originally sought Yukos' bankruptcy after the company defaulted on part of a $1-billion syndicated loan arranged for it three years ago, but sold its remaining $482-million debt on March 13 to Rosneft, which asked the Moscow Arbitration Court on March 28 to recognize Yukos as bankrupt and appoint an external management of the company.
Rosneft said it had received, along with the rights of claim, the rights of holding proceedings in the Yukos bankruptcy case.
Yukos lawyers disagreed with the ruling, saying the claims to payables had been re-assigned under English law.
Bankruptcy hearings are due to take place June 27.
