Gazprom has warned that Russian courts may favour national companies, and that foreign investors might face corruption and “political resistance” to the execution of judgments awarded to them by international arbitration, the Russian energy giant said in an investment memorandum. This is a formality, but a very prejudicial one to national justice, say experts.
In its memo on the issue of Eurobonds, worth $15 billion, Gazprom spoke a well-known truism, confirms MDM-Bank analyst Mikhail Galkin.
But a legal expert with a major oil company said that all judges should not be tarred with the same brush, adding that his corporation never made such statements. He is surprised at Gazprom’s fears: “What sways courts now is bureaucratic brawn, which the monopoly enjoys in full.”
Yevgeny Rashchevsky, a lawyer with the Yukov, Khrenov and Partners bar association, thinks Gazprom is being overcautious: “Indeed, why not mention the risks in case investors consider the Russian judiciary ineffective?”
But judges disagree with the charges of inexperience, lack of commitment and corruption aimed at them. “Such statements are backed up neither with arguments nor statistics,” protests Tatyana Neshatayeva, a judge with the Superior Court of Arbitration.
“Our courts have been hearing cases involving foreign nationals for 11 years now, up to 2,000 a year.” She said that despite the absence of bilateral agreements, Russian courts implemented the rulings of foreign courts in favor of Yukos shareholders.
“Of late, the Russian arbitration system has been functioning very consistently. And they have been removing any unclear points that might provoke abuses, both on the part of business and judges,” she said.
Big corporations themselves have helped cultivate disrespect for the national judicial system, said Alexander Shmakov, a partner with the law firm Russkiye Eksperty.
“In their day, they corrupted the courts, making them tools in their corporate wars,” he said. “As a result, there is now massive contempt for our judiciary. British law is the guarantee of transactional fairness now, and a village court in Cyprus now enjoys more trust.”
This website and sisters royaldutchshellplc.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.
Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
