According to unofficial sources, the Vilnius Regional Court on Tuesday allowed the respondents, Golubev and Seleznev, not to attend the hearings.
“The court decided yesterday that the case could be heard without Seleznev and Golubev attending,” an official who wished to remain anonymous told BNS.
The Energy Ministry asked the court to dismiss Golubev and Seleznev from Lietuvos Dujos’ management board due to an alleged conflict of interest.
The court heard the dispute on Tuesday and Wednesday and will hold another closed meeting on Friday.
Last March, the Energy Ministry filed a suit with the Vilnius Regional Court initiating an investigation into Lietuvos Dujos’ operations.
It also asked the court to dismiss Lietuvos Dujos CEO Viktoras Valentukevičius, if the actions of the company and its management were found to be improper.
Later Gazprom filed a request with the Arbitration Institute of the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce over the probe into Lietuvos Dujos‘ operations initiated by the Lithuanian Energy Ministry.
Russia’s gas company asked the tribunal to declare the Lithuanian ministry’s actions to initiate litigation against Lietuvos Dujos and its top management a breach of the company’s shareholders’ agreement and demanded the reimbursement of damages.
Stockholm arbitration should hear the dispute between Gazprom and Lithuania’s government at the end of May.
The Lithuanian government owns 17.70 percent of Lietuvos Dujos, which is listed on the blue-chip Main List of the NASDAQ OMX Vilnius stock exchange. Gazprom holds a 37.06 percent stake and E.ON Ruhrgas International owns 38.9 percent of shares.
