Telenor says Vimpelcom court case to resume
MOSCOW, Dec 25 (Reuters) - Norwegian telecoms group Telenor (TEL.OL) said on Thursday that a Siberian court would resume hearing its appeal of a $2.8 billion award it has been ordered to pay Russian mobile operator Vimpelcom (VIP.N).
Telenor said in a statement the Eighth Arbitration Appeals Court in Omsk would resume hearing at 1000 local time (0400 GMT) on Friday. It gave no other details.
Telenor had appealed a verdict by a lower Siberian court in a suit brought by British Virgin Islands-based Farimex, a small shareholder in Vimpelcom, which claims the Russian group was hurt by Telenor's reluctance to expand into Ukraine.
Telenor believes Farimex is linked to Alfa, run by Russian billionaire Mikhail Fridman, with which it has had a rocky relationship marked by numerous court and boardroom battles.
Alfa denies any link to Farimex. Telenor holds 29.9 percent of the voting shares in Vimpelcom, the No. 2 mobile operator in Russia, while Alfa holds 44 percent.
If Telenor loses the appeal in Omsk, it could be forced to hand its Vimpelcom stake over to the court, which could then force its sale to pay the imposed award.
Telenor has signalled it would appeal any potential negative verdict in a higher court. (Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; editing by Michael Roddy)
