Yukos Case: Hague Court Ruling in Gives Grounds to Unfreeze Russian Assets

The Hague district court's ruling on the Yukos case does not by itself lift freezes on Russian assets abroad, but gives ground for change, Russia's Justice Ministry said Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Wednesda morning, the Hague Court annuled an earlier ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration requesting the Russian Federation to pay $50 billion to the former stakeholders of the defunct Yukos oil company.

"By itself, the decision does not lift freezes on real estate and accounts, but it gives indisputable grounds to demand for the measures to be canceled. First and foremost in France and Belgium," the ministry said in a statement.

Earlier, Russia's Finance Minsiter Anoton Siluanov expressed his opinion that the rulling shows the absence of a legal base to seize Russian assets abroad.