Stati v. Republic of Kazakhstan

199 F. Supp. 3d 179, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 103357, 2016 WL 4191540
District Court, District of Columbia·Decided August 5, 2016·No. Civil Action No. 14-1638 (ABJ)·Published·Cited by 13 cases

Opinion

MEMORANDUM OPINION & ORDER

AMY BERMAN JACKSON, United States District Judge

The petitioners in this action are Anato-lie Stati and Gabriel Stati (“Stati”); Ascom Group, SA. (“Ascom”), a company incorporated in Moldova and owned by Anatolie Stati; and Terra Raf Trans Traiding Ltd. (“Terra Raf’), a company incorporated in Gibraltar, and owned in equal shares by Anatolie and Gabriel Stati. They have filed a petition to confirm a December 19, 2013 arbitration award against respondent, the Republic of Kazakhstan (“Kazakhstan”), related to Kazakhstan’s alleged violation of the Energy Charter Treaty, an international agreement signed by the respondent. Pet. to Confirm Arbitral Award (“Pet,”) [Dkt. # 1]' ¶¶ 11, 34, 36. Petitioner seeks to confirm the award pursuant to the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”), 9 U.S.C. § 201 et seq., which codifies the United Nations Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards1, June 10, 1958, 330 U.N.T.S. 38. Pet. ¶ 1. The Court finds as a preliminary matter that it has jurisdiction under both the FAA and the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. But given the pendency of a proceeding to set aside the arbitral award and the status of that proceeding, the Court believes that it is prudent to stay the instant action pending resolution of that challenge. Therefore, this matter will be stayed, and the parties will be ordered to file a status report advising the Court of the status of the currently pending petition [182]*182in the Svea Court of Appeal within seven days of any decision by that court.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND2

Petitioners have been engaged in the oil and gas business in Kazakhstan for approximately 17 years. In 1999, petitioner Ascom, Anatolie Stati’s company, purchased a 62% share in KPM, a company that owned the subsoil use rights to the Borankol oil field in Kazakhstan. Pet. ¶ 29. In 2000, petitioners acquired a 75% interest in TNG, a company that owned the subsoil use rights to the Tolkyn gas field and the Tabyl exploration block (“Tabyl Block”). Id. ¶30. Ascom ultimately acquired 100% of KPM, and Terra Raf allegedly came to own 100% of TNG.3 Id. ¶ 31. In 2000, KPM and TNG obtained approval from Kazakhstan to explore and develop various oil and gas fields located in Kazakhstan. Arb. Award [Dkt. # 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4] (“Award”) ¶ 229. A year later, in 2001, petitioners, through KPM and TNG, invested more than one billion dollars in the development of the Borankol and Tolkyn fields, and the Tabyl Block. Pet. ¶ 32.

In 2008, the President of Moldova contacted the President of Kazakhstan and accused Anatolie Stati of illegally concealing profits in offshore territories and illegally using the proceeds from his Kazakhstan operations to invest in states subject to sanctions by the United Nations. Award ¶ 291. Kazakhstan subsequently began a government investigation of Stati and his companies. Id. ¶¶ 296, 301. Petitioners and respondent disagree on what followed. According to petitioners, the government of Kazakhstan began to intimidate and harass petitioners into selling their investments to the state-owned KazMunaiGas at a substantial discount. Pet. ¶ 33. Specifically, petitioners claim that Kazakhstan “baselessly” accused petitioners of fraud and forgery, levied more than $70 million dollars in back taxes, arrested KPM’s general manager for “illegal entrepreneurial activity,” and ultimately seized all of KPM and TNG’s assets. Id. And, in July of 2010, Kazakhstan terminated petitioners’ subsoil use contracts. Award ¶ 611.

Petitioners assert that in 2009 they contacted respondent in response to the alleged harassment. On March 18, 2009, Stati wrote to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, and requested an amicable resolution to the Ministry’s rescission of its prior approval of Terra Raf s acquisition of its Kazakh subsidiary. Award ¶ 412. The next day, March 19, 2009, the executives from Terra Raf and Ascom met with the Ministry’s executive secretary to discuss resolution of that issue and other alleged harassment. Id. ¶ 414. Just under two months later, on May 7, 2009, Stati wrote a letter to the president of Kazakhstan that set forth petitioners’ intention to bring arbitration claims against Kazakhstan for the diminution of the value of their investments. Award ¶ 444.

Kazakhstan’s version of events is that the Kazakh Tax and Customs Committee properly assessed $62 million dollars in taxes to petitioners, and that a lawful criminal investigation by the Kazakh authorities led to in the arrest and imprisonment of KPM’s General Director. Award ¶¶ 394, 430, 440, 492. Respondent maintains that it was the investigation that led to the termi[183]*183nation of KPM and TNG’s subsoil use contracts on July 21, 2010, and it disputes the claim that Kazakhstan expropriated petitioners’ assets. Id. ¶¶ 591-611. Instead, respondent takes the position that the Kazakh state oil company and its subsidiary placed petitioners’ oil and gas fields into trust management on. a temporary basis only. Id. ¶ 611.

On July 26, 2010, petitioners filed a request for arbitration. Req. for Arb., Ex. C. to Decl. of Charlene C. Sun [Dkt. #2-6] (“Req. for Arb.”). The request states:

Over the past two years, Kazakhstan has engaged in a campaign of harassment and illegal acts against [petitioners] that culminated on July 21, 2010 with the State’s notice of unilateral termination of the companies’ Subsoil Use Contracts, the illegal expropriation of [petitioners’] Kazakh investments, and the subsequent commandeering of [petitioners’] offices by personnel of State-owned KazMunaiGas and the Kazakh Ministry of Oil and Gas.

Id. ¶ 4. The request invoked the Energy Charter Treaty and asserted that Kazakhstan’s harassment “clearly had expropriation as its ultimate goal, and it had the effect in the process of destroying both the market value and alienability of [petitioners’] investments.” Id. ¶¶ 4, 8.

The parties arbitrated the dispute before the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce (“SCC”). On December 19, 2013 the Tribunal determined that Kazakhstan breached its obligation to provide fair and equitable treatment under article Í0(1) of the ECT. Award ¶¶ 1085-95. The Tribunal awarded petitioners $497,685,101. This total included $277.8 million for the Borankol and Tolkyn oil and gas fields, $31.3 mijllion for the subsoil use contracts, $199 million for an unfinished plant, and $8,975,496.40 in legal costs. Id. ¶¶ 1085-95, 1856-61, 1885.

On September 30, 2014, petitioners commenced this proceeding to confirm the arbitration award under the New York Convention and the FAA. Pet, Respondent opposed the motion, Resp’t’s Opp., petitioners filed a reply, Pet’rs’ Reply, and the Court granted respondent leave to file a sur-reply, Resp’t’s Sur-Reply in Supp. of Resp’t’s Opp. [Dkt. #28] (“Resp’t’s Sur-Reply”). On October 21, 2015, the Court ordered the parties to brief the question of subject matter jurisdiction under both the FAA and the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act. Min. Order (Oct. 21, 2015). Both parties responded to the Court’s Order. See Pet’rs’ Mem. of Law re Court’s Order [Dkt. # 30] (“Pet’rs’ Juris. Mem.”); Resp’t’s Mem. on Subject Matter Jurisdiction [Dkt. #31] (“Resp’t’s Juris. Mem.”).

LEGAL BACKGROUND

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Stati v. Republic of Kazakhstan, 199 F. Supp. 3d 179, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 103357, 2016 WL 4191540 (D.D.C. 2016).

199 F. Supp. 3d 179 (Stati v. Republic of Kazakhstan) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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