Government surprised with Rosneft's protests

The Russian government "is surprised with the intention of the Rosneft oil company to challenge in court the removal of the Finansprofit Ekspert company from the participation in the auction for selling the state stake in the Slavneft company". As a source in the Russian government reported to RBC, "this statement is at least surprising". As the source pointed out, Rosneft admitted that Finansprofit Ekspert, which had applied for participating in the auction, was affiliated with Rosneft. Thus the company admits that it was willing to participate in the auction despite current legislation, the source noted.

Additionally, according to the source, if Rosneft would have paid $2.5bn, this would have meant that this huge sum was passed from one state "pocket" to another; the state would thus have spent $2.5bn for buying its own property instead of earning $1.86bn from selling its assets.

Additionally, the source pointed out that if Rosneft management considered $160m as "a mocking sum, we can congratulate them". The starting price of the state stake in Slavneft was $1.7bn; it was sold for $1.86bn. Putting up its stake in the company for sale, the government was aiming at passing it to a private proprietor; Rosneft management is not private, the source concluded.

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