This deal was linked to RBI's efforts to exit Russia, as the acquisition would be paid for out ofsome 1.6 billion euros worth of trapped RBI profits in the country.If the deal had gone through, it would have meant that even if RBI subsequently sold its Russian operations at a cut-down price, it would have at least been able to enjoy some of the profits those operations had made.However, RBI wasforced to give up on thedealin May under huge U.S.
pressureafter the U.S.
flagged it as a potential violation of sanctions, and Austrian authorities insisted that RBI abandon the transaction.The decision to abandon the deal subsequently led to a legal challenge by Rasperia Trading, a company formerly owned by Deripaska.The timing of the court ruling has raised questions over whether the lawsuit is being used strategically to lower the price ofthe RBI sale.FTalso suggestedthat similar to previous cases, such as thesale of Volkswagens Russian assets, the legal challenges could be part of a broader tactic to devalue the asset.This article was originally published by bne IntelliNews.