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An archive of the key court rulings in the Tristangate dispute.
Brussels Court of Appeal rejects Kazakhstan’s challenge to $530 million attachment order
The Brussels Court of Appeal has rejected Kazakhstan’s challenge to a $530 million attachment of assets held via its National Fund with BNY Mellon in Brussels.
The asset attachment, originally at a value of $22.6 billion, is an enforcement measure against Kazakhstan’s continued failure to pay more than $500 million awarded to the Stati Parties by a Swedish arbitral tribunal in 2013. The Stati Parties later agreed to limit the attachment to $530 million, reflecting the approximate value of the Energy Charter Award at the time. The attachment value has since grown with interest to over $540 million.
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The Brussels Court of First Instance grants recognition with respect to the award, dismissing all of Kazakhstan’s challenges to the award (including based on the fraud allegations).
The Luxembourg Court of Appeal grants recognition with respect to the award. The Court finds that Kazakhstan has failed to prove the existence of any fraud. This decision is binding and enforceable as a matter of Luxembourg law notwithstanding any further appeals.
The Stati Parties file a motion for sanctions and contempt before the federal district court in Washington, D.C. given Kazakhstan’s repeated breaches of its discovery obligations stemming from previous U.S. court orders in the local award enforcement proceedings.
This matter is currently stayed pending Kazakhstan’s compliance with its discovery obligations.
A District Court in Stockholm dismisses Kazakhstan’s and NBK’s separate appeals against various attachment orders made by the Swedish bailiff concerning Kazakh state property in Sweden.
The assets in question represent proceeds of shareholdings and related economic rights in various Swedish listed companies owned by Kazakhstan as part of the savings portfolio of the National Fund. These proceeds are currently blocked in the Swedish bailiff’s escrow account in the sum of SEK 790,284,526 (approximately US$ 53 million) pending final resolution of the Swedish award enforcement proceedings before the Swedish Supreme Court.
The Amsterdam Court of Appeals upholds the US$ 5.2 billion share freeze of Kazakhstan’s stake in the Kashagan oil field held via Samruk-Kazyna.