After Houthoff, a second Dutch law firm stops defending the Russian state in an ongoing case. It concerns the Amsterdam Hoyng Rokh Monegier. Lawyer Joris van Manen reports that after questions from NRC†
Hoyng Rokh Monegier says he can no longer morally justify representing the Russian state. In recent days, the office has also asked for advice from the dean of the Amsterdam Bar Association. After internal deliberation, it was decided to drop the Kremlin as a customer.
Lawyer Van Manen defended the Russian state in a twenty-year-long case against Russian tycoon Yuri Sjefler. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, it acquired the famous vodka brands Stolichnaya, Moskovskaya and Na Zdorovye. Sjefler’s company Spirits International, a subsidiary of SPI Group, has its registered office in the Netherlands. In recent years, Russia has successfully reclaimed the brands with the help of lawyer Van Manen.
SPI changed the name of Stolichnaya to ‘Stoli’ in 2020, and the label on the bottles was also adjusted. Without success: SPI Group had to relinquish the rights for the Benelux to Russia from the Dutch court. Sjefler also had to repay the profits made since 1999. The tycoon is still conducting several lawsuits in the Netherlands about the use of the brand in European countries. He won some cases.
Also read: If you order a Stolichnaya now you will get Russian vodka, not Latvian
Houthoff
Hoyng Rokh Monegier is the second Dutch office to stop assisting the Russian state as a result of the war in Ukraine. Last week the Amsterdam Houthoff did the same. The Zuidas office received a lot of criticism after partner Rob Meijer told NRC on Monday that he wanted to continue supporting the Kremlin.
Also read: Zuidas does not just drop Russian clientele
Houthoff assisted the Russian state for seventeen years in a protracted legal conflict with three former shareholders of the energy company Yukos. They are demanding more than $50 billion because the Kremlin wrongly expropriated Yukos. In that case, Yukos seized the rights for the Benelux of a series of alcohol brands registered in the Netherlands, including the contested Stolichnaya and Moskovskaya.
Houthoff also assisted Russia in the battle for the Crimean treasures. The Kremlin was the main source of income for the office for many years. It earned the firm the nickname ‘Kremlin Office’.
On Thursday, after continued social pressure, Houthoff announced that it would “terminate its relationship with the Russian Federation and associated persons and companies”. Law firm NautaDutilh reported on Thursday via Follow the Money also don’t want to act anymore for Russian parties.
Trust office ends cooperation
It is not only law firms that are currently terminating cooperation with Russian clients. Trust office TMF announced this weekend that it no longer wanted to assist Russians. The company facilitates, among other things, the tax establishment of Russian companies in the Netherlands.
Russian companies based in the Netherlands, mainly because of the tax climate, often use letterbox companies and trust offices to serve their interests. The association of Dutch trust offices HollandQuaestor (HQ) already urged in NRC on Tuesday that trust offices break their ties with Russian customers.
Last week it appeared that Minister Sigrid Kaag (Finance, D66) was in consultation with other European countries about additional sanctions, specifically aimed at trust offices. As far as is known, these consultations have not yet yielded any results.