MOSCOW, August 9 (RIA Novosti) - The Moscow Court of Arbitration appointed for September 2 the main hearings of the Yukos oil company's claim to recognize the arrest of the shares of the Samaraneftegaz joint stock company illegal.
Preliminary hearings of this case have been completed on Monday, a RIA Novosti correspondent reports from the courtroom.
On June 29, 2004 the appeals instance of the Court of Arbitration confirmed the decision to levy taxes, fines and penalty fees worth 99.342 billion rubles ($3.4 billion) upon Yukos.
The Bailiffs' Service launched execution proceedings on this case. After that, shares of Yukos subsidiaries Yuganskneftegaz, Samaraneftegaz and Tomskneft were arrested on July 14. Yukos lawyers considered this decision illegal and went to court.
On August 6 the Moscow Court of Arbitration found the arrest of the shares in the Yukos-owned Yuganskneftegaz oil company imposed by the Bailiffs Service illegal.
