OREANDA-NEWS. Naftogaz of Ukraine reported that the Commercial Court of the High Court of England and Wales obliged Gazprom in the event of receiving dividends from Nord Stream to contribute $ 145 million of the amount due to it to the court’s account as a guarantee of compliance with its claims. The Ukrainian company’s statement alleges that the decision was made on June 11, 2019, taking into account the “extension of the time limit for the appeal of the decision of the Stockholm arbitration and the probable additional interest on the debt that Gazprom will have to pay to Naftogaz".

In addition, the Naftogaz report states that "an English commercial court obliged Gazprom, when making decisions by Nord Stream shareholders to pay dividends, to receive Naftogaz’s consent or a court’s consent to receive such funds". Relevant messages from the court itself and Gazprom hasn't yet been received.

In December 2017 and February 2018, the Stockholm Arbitration Court made decisions on disputes between Gazprom and Naftogaz about gas supplies to Ukraine and its transit through the country, obliging the Russian company to pay $ 2.56 billion to Ukrainian, Gazprom appealed against these decisions. The Svea County Court of Appeal in Sweden scheduled a hearing on Gazprom’s appeal in October 2019.

However, in the summer of 2018, Naftogaz began the process of forced collection of $ 2.56 billion through the seizure of assets of a Russian holding company in Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

In June 2018, the High Court of England and Wales accepted the request of Naftogaz for the arrest of Gazprom assets in England and Wales. However, in September of the same year, the process was stopped under the obligation of Gazprom not to dispose of Nord Stream shares until the end of the hearings in the English court in the case on recognition and enforcement of the decision of the Stockholm court on the transit contract.