Telenor says Siberian court to resume on Monday

OSLO, Dec 26 (Reuters) - Norwegian telecoms company Telenor (TEL.OL) said on Friday that a Siberian court would resume hearing on Dec. 29 its appeal against a $2.8 billion fine it was ordered to pay Russian mobile operator Vimpelcom (VIP.N).

"The court has heard all the motions of the involved parties and the closing arguments were started," a Telenor spokesman told Reuters. "The court has adjourned until Monday, Dec. 29."

Telenor had appealed a ruling by a lower Siberian court in a suit brought by British Virgin Islands-based Farimex, a small shareholder in Vimpelcom, who claims the Russian group was hurt by Telenor's reluctance to expand into Ukraine.

Telenor believes Farimex is linked to Alfa, Vimpelcom's biggest investor 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 has 29.9 percent of the voting shares in Vimpelcom, Russia's No. 2 mobile operator, while Alfa holds 44 percent.

If Telenor loses the appeal in the Eighth Arbitrazh Appellate Court 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 Wojciech Moskwa; Editing by Ruth Pitchford)