Yukos heading back to US courts

Russian oil and gas company Yukos is due in a US court on Thursday as it continues to fight for its survival.

The firm is in the process of being broken up by Russian authorities in order to pay a $27bn (£14bn) tax bill. Yukos filed for bankruptcy in the US, hoping to use international business law to halt the forced sale of its key oil production unit, Yuganskneftegas. The unit was however sold for $9.4bn to state oil firm Rosneft but only after the state auction had been disrupted.

Yukos lawyers now say the auction violated US bankruptcy law. The company and its main shareholders have vowed to go after any company that buys its assets, using all and every legal means. The company wants damages of $20bn, claiming Yuganskneftegas was sold at less than market value. Judge Letitia Clark will hear different motions, including one from Deutsche Bank to throw out the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. The German lender is one of six banks that were barred from providing financing to Gazprom, the Russian state-owned company that was expected to win the auction for Yuganskneftegas. Deutsche Bank, which is also an advisor to Gazprom, has called on the US court to overturn its decision to provide Yukos with bankruptcy protection.

Lifting the injunction would remove the uncertainty that surrounds the court case and clarify Deutsche Bank's business position, analysts said.

Analysts are not optimistic about Yukos' chances in court. Russian President Vladimir Putin and the country's legal authorities have repeatedly said that the US has no jurisdiction over Yukos and its legal wranglings. On top of that, the firm only has limited assets in the US. Yukos has won small victories, however, and is bullish about its chances in court. "Do we have an ability to influence what happens? We think we do," said Mike Lake, a Yukos spokesman. "The litigation risks are real," said Credit Suisse First Boston analyst Vadim Mitroshin The dispute with the Russian authorities is partly driven by President Putin's clampdown on the political ambitions of ex-Yukos boss Mikhail Khodorkovsky. Mr Khodorkovsky is in jail on charges of fraud and tax evasion.
