The Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, approved a bill this Wednesday that allows the head of state to introduce external management of the assets of people and companies from countries considered hostile.
The draft, which still requires approval by the Russian Federation Council (upper house), gives the status of law to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s April 25 decree in response to the freeze of Russian assets abroad due to the war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022.
The new legislation provides that the head of state will be able to determine how persons under Russian jurisdiction should fulfill their obligations towards foreign states considered hostile.
The new diploma also provides that the President of Russia can establish temporary administration over movable and immovable property owned in the country by people from countries considered hostile.
According to the bill approved on Wednesday, the head of state can also introduce a special procedure for confiscating resources in cash or shares.
Russian newspaper Vedomosti reported on Wednesday that Taimuraz Bolloev, president of the Russian brewing company Baltika, proposed to Rosimushchestvo director Vadim Yakovenko to nationalize the company, owned by the Danish Carlsberg group and currently under temporary administration. .
On October 31, the managing director of the Danish brewer Carlsberg, Jakob Aarup-Andersen, accused the Russian government of “stealing” his business and noted that he was able to reach an agreement due to the fact that the state took control of his business. resources.
“There is no doubt that they took our business from us in Russia, but we are not going to help them make it look legitimate,” Aarup-Andersen said.
Carlsberg, which announced it was leaving Russia in March 2022 due to the war in Ukraine, announced at the end of June last year the sale of its Baltika subsidiary without disclosing the buyer. This deal was subject to permission from the Russian government.
In mid-April, Putin signed a decree allowing the government to take temporary control of Carlsberg’s assets, which subsequently violated an agreement that allowed Baltika to produce and sell its products in Russia.