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You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> England and Wales High Court (Commercial Court) Decisions >> Otkritie International Investment Management Ltd & Ors v Urumov & Ors [2012] EWHC 3106 (Comm) (27 September 2012) URL: http://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Comm/2012/3106.html Cite as: [2012] EWHC 3106 (Comm) |
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QUEEN'S BENCH DIVISION
COMMERCIAL COURT
B e f o r e :
____________________
(1) OTKRITIE INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED | ||
(2) OTKRITIE SECURITIES LIMITED | ||
(3) JSC OTKRITIE FINANCIAL CORPORATION | Claimants | |
- and - | ||
(1) GEORGY URUMOV (also known as GEORGE URUMOV) | ||
(2) DENNING CAPITAL LIMITED | ||
(3) DUNANT INTERNATIONAL SA | ||
(4) YULIA BALK | ||
(5) RUSLAN PINAEV (also known as RONEN AVERBUH) | ||
(6) ROSSMORE CORPORATE LIMITED | ||
(7) PLEATOR HOLDING INC. | ||
(8) SERGEY KONDRATYUK | ||
(9) F. O. FIRMLY OCEANS CORPORATION | ||
(10) VLADIMIR GERSAMIA | ||
(11) TEIMURAZ GERSAMIA | ||
(12) TEMPLEWOOD CAPITAL LIMITED | ||
(13) YEVGUENI JEMAI (also known as EUGENE JEMAI) | ||
(14) JECOT S.A. | ||
(15) IRINA JEMAI (also known as IRINA PARSINA) | ||
(16) VANTAX LIMITED | ||
(17) NATALIA DEMAKOVA | ||
(18) QAST INTERNATIONAL SA | ||
(19) MARIJA KOVARSKA (also known as MIRIAM AVERBUH) | Defendants |
____________________
MR. E. COHEN (instructed by Cartier & Co.) appeared on behalf of the 5th and 19th Defendants.
____________________
Crown Copyright ©
MR JUSTICE FIELD:
The alleged loan to Haymoks Trend LLP ("Haymoks") ("the Haymoks Loan")
The alleged loan of $1.25 million to Mauchline Ltd ("Mauchline") (the "Mauchline Loan")
The alleged loan of US$528,861 to Calorna Investments Inc ("Calorna") ("the Calorna Loan").
The alleged loans of US$400,000 and CHF 800.000 to Dalberg International ("Dahlberg") ("the Dahlberg Loans")
Payments to Luxurex
Miscellaneous other transactions
The applicable legal principles
(i) The statutory jurisdiction discretion to order cross-examination is broad and unfettered. It may be ordered whenever the court considers it just and convenient to do so.
(ii) Generally, an order for cross-examination in aid of asset disclosure will be very much the exception rather than the rule.
(iii) It will normally only be ordered where it is likely to further a proper purpose of the order by, for example, revealing further assets that might otherwise be dissipated so as to prevent an eventual judgment against the defendants going unsatisfied.
(iv) It must be proportionate and just, in the sense that it must not be undertaken oppressively or for an ulterior purpose. Thus, it will not normally be ordered unless there are significant or serious deficiencies in the existing disclosure.
(v) Cross-examination can, in an appropriate case, be ordered where assets have already been disclosed in excess of the value of the claim against the defendants.
(i) The cross-examination would be inextricably linked to substantive issues in the case and those issues are all to be explored at the trial which is due to begin in June of next year.
(ii) The claimants ought not to be allowed a "dry run" in exploring questions as to the credibility of the defendants when their credibility will be a major issue in the trial.
(iii) Cross-examination would be a one-sided and unfair exercise because the claimants have many more documents than the defendants as a result of their wide-ranging investigation. The defendants have been unable to obtain copies of documents held by Swiss banks.
(iv) An order for cross-examination could work oppressively. It will be an expensive and time-consuming exercise and the court should be alert to the possibility that it would be used for the collateral purpose of exerting pressure.
(v) Cross-examination would serve no useful purpose. It is inevitable that the defendants will continue to insist that the loans were not shams and that they have given truthful disclosure.
(vi) Further, many months have gone by since the proceedings were started. Accordingly, there cannot be much hope of the existence of assets being revealed, rendering them available for protective orders, if the defendants, as the claimants contend, are bent on secreting and dissipating those assets.
(vii) It is inappropriate to order cross-examination in circumstances where the claimants have not set out in one composite document the questions they have about the defendants' disclosure which could be served on the defendants for their replies.
A. THE MISSING US$10m
(1) General
(1) the loans said to have been made to the Pinaevs by:
(a) Eugene Okladnikov;
(b) SkyPro Aviation;
(c) Mr Pinaev's father
e.g. who are the lenders (as to (a) and (b)), where were they paid, when, how much, on what terms, etc..
(2) where spending money in Israel is derived;
(3) how Ms Kovarska pays the ordinary expenses for her homes in Latvia;
(4) international travel and how it is funded;
(5) where investment or other income is accruing and/or paid (NB recent evidence of trading in precious metals: Dooley 16, para. 33 [1/5/371]);
(6) sources of funding and/or receipts from trading in foreign exchange (e.g through Luxurex);
(2) Specific types of missing asset
(a) Sports cars etc.
(b) Safety deposit boxes
(c) Art, Antiques, Paintings
(d) Watches / other jewellery
(1) who is he, where does he live/work, how can he be contacted;
(2) why was it given to him: what are the "valuable investments" he assisted with; where are the fruits of the investment.
B. 'LOANS' etc.
(a) Generally, in relation to each:
(b) Haymoks
(c) Mauchline
(d) Calorna
(e) Dalberg (two loans: one from Pleator, one from Ms Kovarska)
(f) Luxurex
C. US$4M OF CASH AND JEWELLERY: OCTOBER 2011