Library
An archive of the key court rulings in the Tristangate dispute.
New York District Court motion to dismiss “improper collateral attack” on binding award and compel Outrider into arbitration
Lawyers acting for Argentem Creek Partners filed a motion in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York seeking to dismiss Kazakhstan’s suit, as well as a separate motion to compel Outrider to submit its claims to arbitration.
Kazakhstan’s claims are identical to issues raised in previous proceedings, the motion to dismiss argues, noting that these were already litigated and decided in other courts. The motion to compel arbitration is based on the grounds that the Sharing Agreement signed between Tristan’s noteholders in 2012 mandates the use of arbitration to resolve differences rather than filing of complaints in the American courts and that all noteholders agree to arbitrate when they purchase notes. Outrider, who decided to join Kazakhstan earlier this year in backing the fictional fraud claims, is a signatory to the Sharing Agreement.
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The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit confirms the previous court ruling from March 23, 2018 that the award is valid and enforceable as a binding U.S. judgment. The ruling states that: “We find that it was not an abuse of discretion for the District Court to deny Kazakhstan’s motion because the District Court based its ruling on multiple valid grounds. We further agree with the District Court that Kazakhstan improperly presented new facts in its motion for reconsideration that it had not introduced in its original motion to supplement.”
As a result of this ruling, any non-state immune Kazakh state assets on U.S. soil become amenable to attachment and foreclosure by the Stati Parties.
The federal district court in Washington, D.C. dismisses Kazakhstan’s complaint against the Stati Parties filed pursuant to the U.S. Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act by describing this lawsuit as “ill-advised” and “an improper use of the auspices of this Court to revive and prolong a dispute that is over”.
The Rome Court of Appeal recognizes the award in Italy, dismissing all of Kazakhstan’s challenges to the award (including based on the fraud allegations).
The Court of Appeal in England allows the Stati Parties’ to discontinue all English court proceedings, after the High Court had initially granted Kazakhstan’s application for a trial based on the original fraud allegations made by Kazakhstan.
The Brussels Court of First Instance rejects Kazakhstan’s and NBK’s appeals against the original attachment order with respect to the National Fund assets held by BNY Mellon granted on October 11, 2017. With the Stati Parties’ consent, the Court reduces the attachment value from US$ 22.6 billion to US$ 530 million given the then size of the award.