MOSCOW, June 27 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow Arbitration Court Tuesday ruled to postpone hearings on the bankruptcy of embattled oil company Yukos [RTS: YUKO] until August 1.
The postponement had been requested by Yukos temporary external manager Edward Rebgun.
A lawyer for Rebgun, appointed by the court March 28 as temporary external manager to oversee the company during its bankruptcy case, said more time was needed to hold a meeting of the company's creditors.
The arbitration court plans on July 12 to hear several claims totaling more than 160 million rubles ($5.9 mln) for inclusion in the list of Yukos creditors, and court decisions on these claims should be reached before the creditors' meeting, not afterwards, the lawyer said.
Once a major independent oil producer, Yukos faces heavy debts and tax arrears and its founder Mikhail Khodorkovsky is serving an eight-year jail term on fraud and tax evasion charges.
