The case involving NCOC, the operator of the Kashagan oil field, is still under review by Kazakhstan’s Supreme Court. However, Zhomart Aliyev, Kazakhstan’s vice minister of ecology and natural resources, said he believes the government will ultimately recover 2.356 trillion tenge (about $5 billion) in environmental fines from the consortium.
«The final cassation hearing in the Supreme Court is still ahead of us. However, given that the case has been in the courts for two years and has already gone through all lower court instances, there is already a high probability and a strong level of confidence that we will prevail in the Supreme Court,» he told Kursiv.media.
Government expects favorable ruling
Aliyev said previous court decisions support the ministry’s assessment of the case’s likely outcome.
«This is a cassation proceeding, which is based on the decisions of the lower courts. I do not want to get ahead of the process, but we believe there is a strong likelihood that we will win this case. In fact, we have already prevailed in nearly all stages of the litigation,» he said.
According to Aliyev, the case could be resolved within the next month to six weeks.
Arbitration proceedings also underway
At the same time, NCOC has filed a related claim in international arbitration. That process is still in its early stages.
«We have completed all domestic legal proceedings and have won at every level so far. NCOC has filed a claim in international arbitration, and the case is currently pending before the arbitration tribunal. The hearings have not yet begun,» he said.
Aliyev noted that Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Justice will represent the country in the arbitration proceedings, while the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources will provide support and expertise.
