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Looed, your depth of ongoing legal matters concerning FRR is astonishing and (for us mortal shareholders) gratifying. Can I assume that some of your messages posted here are being reviewed/cleared by someone at FRR to ensure the accuracy, particularly noting some of the granular details in your posts? Nevertheless, while we are stuck in what seems like a perpetual vacuum on official news from the company, your posts are helping many desperate shareholders of ‘keeping the flame alive’ (including myself). Five years on, I am sure we may have sadly lost many to the grim reaper (just a sad fact of life).
With regard to FICvsSN, one thing that gave me enormous comfort was the signing of the global legal agreement with Hope, which saw the California case fall away. We had all thought at that time (following the execution of this agreement) other major cases between OMF-Hope and SN-FRC would have settled but atlas, we are none-the-wiser. Recall at that time, we speculated that perhaps Hope was given some Royalty payment scheme whereby he would recoup his debt from future oil sales. But I don’t think this proceeded as we thought, because otherwise Hope would have instructed the Liquidators to cease all proceedings.
Anyway, perhaps the closure of the YA case may finally allow the Company to say something to their saintly shareholders, in terms of future plans But until then, we have to be grateful for your posts.
Thanks
One more point - You might wonder why this case is based in NYC while all the others are in Texas. This is because the FRCC liquidators retained NYC based counsel. In the eyes of the court this means FRCC has "property" in NYC and so can proceed its action in that district.
Tsbs1 - we don't really know. But back in January this is what the GOGC said -
"As the chairman of the agency, Giorgi Tatishvili, reported to "Business Partner”, "Frontera" returned 99% of the license block according to the international arbitration order. It has 1% remaining where the Oil and Gas Corporation operates.
“The local company of “Frontera” is in liquidation mode. As the liquidation process is underway, and not to deteriorate the economic situation and not to spill the oil, this oil is managed by the state itself. However, at the same time, we are negotiating with the American management of “Frontera", which has a desire to continue working here, but with the condition of fulfilling the terms that were put forward by the arbitration, because the amount has to be paid. So there is an opportunity for” Frontera " to return. If this does not happen, the state will continue to work there,” – says Giorgi Tatishvili."
Elsewhere, we saw various sums of money being quoted that the company said they had via the support of US banks and financial institutions.
As expected, a tweaking of the dates to accommodate the recently filed YA Motion for Summary Judgement. The company have swapped the dockets and advised the court as follows -
"Hearing on YA II PN, Ltd.’s Motion For Motion for Traditional And No- Evidence Summary Judgment in the above-styled and numbered cause is set for hearing on Friday, October 6, 2023, at 10:00 A.M. by Order of the Court."
This means the Trial on Merits will need to be arranged for a later date, possibly taking the October 9 slot but so far, nothing filed to that effect.
As a reminder, this is the latest in an along line of attempts by YA to enforce judgement with all previous attempts failing. Though the latest motion includes some of the "helpful suggestions" put forward by the company, it does rely on many of the same arguments as the previous motions. Of course there is always the chance YA will prevail.
Why would the company agree to switch dates and put back their Trial on Merits so YA can attempt to get Summary Judgement? There could be many reasons, one could be that a failure by YA to obtain Summary Judgement (again) is the court telling YA they don't have a strong case and which might then be a factor in any subsequent Trial on Merits.
Hi toatie - the full name of this case is "FRCC & David Griffin Bankruptcy Court". The main reason it isn't discussed too much is because nothing much has happened in the case. The case was filed in 2019. FRCC (Frontera Resources Caucasus Corp) is one of the Cayman entities under liquidation along with FIC and FRGC.
In simple terms it is an attempt by the Cayman liquidators to try and find value via the officers (SN, ZM) as they haven't been able to realize any value in Cayman. The filings discuss all the same Hope-related talking points as the FIC case. As far as I can see, the company have never filed any response to this case.
The original filing in October 2019 was a "Petition for Recognition of a Foreign Proceedings" and the judge granted the right to proceed in January 2020. Nothing seems to have happened and in April 2022, the judge asked the legal equivlent of "whats going on here?" In reply, a report was filed to say the liquidators are monitoring the FIC v SN, ZM case and will await the outcome of that case.
Hard to say if this case is already dead in the water (hence the lack of action) or if it might present a danger at some future point. It does cover many of the same issues as FIC v SN so I assume this case will go the same way that one does.
With all these cases coming to a conclusion with settlements, what can frr actually be promising them
We dont even know what they still have in terms of land and psa
Hi mate what is this case never seen this one before today thanks. NYC Bankruptcy proceedings.
ZiggyZag – nothing stupid about questions around these cases and I only hope this answer doesn’t confuse you more.
As I am sure you know, the Cayman action involves extracting value from the remains of the entity. The USA case is against its officers due to the ongoing failure of the Cayman action t extract value.
In Cayman, Hope’s inability to provide funding became something like the “last straw” for the JOL’s and their already frustrated efforts to realize any value from the entity being liquidated. In a report dated February 2021, the JOL’s conclude they had reached a dead end and there was nothing left to do other than call on the GOGC to terminate the PSC, which we know did not happen. The report ends asking stakeholders if they have any ideas on how to proceed. We do not know if they got any reply.
FIC v SN was filed in Texas in August 2021.
If the asset does now sit with FRUS, it is protected from any Cayman related actions, as stated in the original plaintiff petition in the FIC case which comments that FRUS is “another Frontera entity that is not subject to obligations” under the loan notes and other agreements. If you recall the company instead allowed for a 5% royalty from FRUS to offset monies owed.
The FIC v SN case involves claims against the individual officers and whilst Hope isn’t a defendant in FIC v SN, the case does for the most part revolve around events related to him. As in Cayman, the liquidators need to be realistic as to what they can / cannot achieve. Now the parties appear to be cooperating.
As far as I can recall there was no further update on the situation in Cayman. The NYC case has been dormant since early 2022.
The remaining cases are -
FIC v SN
YA II v FRC
NYC Bankruptcy proceedings.
Whatever might be going on in the Georgian courts
The small claims by Yellow Jersey
Spudsoil, if we get one penny back from our investment, I'll show my arris in Woolies window.
thompson, my machine's off too lol
TSBS, not sure where the info attached came from but all online. Some fraud cases, same board at YA it seems so FRR been up against it but the truth is out there. https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2012-2012-209htm.
Machine off .
Good question ziggy im confused about it all now too are we totally just down to two cases to sort and thats it
cant think what frr must be offering everyone- probably our shares 😂. SN probably convinced all the concerned parties he’ ll get our shares from us some how one way or another
Monti & Looed, many thanks for your thoughts & updates , keep the faith folks, its Sunday so wouldn’t hurt to sing or hum my favourite hymn, all things bright and beautiful….all companies great and small
Good luck all real holders
If I’d been offered 10 cents on the dollar for my FRR investment a couple of years back, I would have taken it. Didn’t seem like there was a way back when all the info emerged in 2019/2020. I wouldn’t take 10 cents if I was offered it now. Not sure I’d take parity either actually. Might be foolish thinking but can’t help thinking something is brewing. A few hurdles left to jump but rather than new hurdles being put up in front of us, as was happening a couple of years ago, it’s the existing hurdles that are being dismantled one by one. Fascinated to think how this will eventually turn out. The impasse can’t last forever (I think!) and fingers crossed we’re in the closing stages.
Looed thanks for your latest summary
I am a bit confused so I need to ask what will probably seem stupid questions
You say re the FIC case (I think )
….. Though not exactly a like-for-like situation, we saw in Cayman that Hope was able to end proceedings by withdrawing financial support….
Are you referring to the whole liquidation saga covering Liquidators actions in Caymans and USA via NY bankruptcy courts ?
I cannot recall seeing anything from liquidators / Caymans / NY courts saying case finished
Has the liquidation process come to an end ?
If so what is the final outcome / standing of the the liquidated Co’s , are they now officially closed with the assets that were transferred to FRR US now totally secure in that Co ?
Hi MontiBurns – Thanks for the summary. Just a couple of points to add.
YA are claiming US$3.4m+ – “Entering judgment in favor of YA II and against FRC in the sum of $3,431,380.47 as of June 28, 2021, with post-judgment interest thereon at the rate of 8.25% per annum from the date of this judgment until paid together with all costs of Court in this behalf expended”
It looks like there might be some re-jigging of hearing dates in this case with the hearing for Summary Judgement possibly going first. The dates seem a bit out of synch on the court website so hopefully the site will align soon (it doesn’t always) and we can see if that really is the case.
The FIC case covers a lot and involves, amongst other things, claims of breach of fiduciary care, not least against ZM and Green Capital (his instrumental role not fully known to parties at the time of filing), loan notes and Hope.
Though not exactly a like-for-like situation, we saw in Cayman that Hope was able to end proceedings by withdrawing financial support. As stated in a letter submitted in the ZM case and in regard to the liquidation of FRGC - “Outrider has provided an amount of USD 90,000 to date for the fees of the joint voluntary liquidators and JOLs of the Company. This funding has, or shortly will be, fully extinguished by the JOLs fees to date. Outrider has confirmed that it is not in a position to provide further funding in respect of the PSC and there is currently no other funding available to the JOLs.”
FRGC are also a defendant in this case. The correct title of what we call usually call the FIC v SN case being FIC & FRCG v SN & ZM.
Lastly, and I know it doesn't feel like it, but there have been a number of official press releases post de-list. These include information on ZM, Outrider, relations with the GG, plans to return to Georgia. People can rightly say press statements aren't what they want, or the information isn't enough in terms of content or frequency, but these releases are official and available online. I don't know why they don't just put them on the website. I might be wrong, but I think those pressers might pre-date the new website so hopefully going forward that is something they can address.
Last official news Jan 2019. Since 24th of December 2018 FRR investors have been kept in the
dark and only Looed is reporting keeping us in informed. Shorts collected profits from IG and
investors live in hope. Investment Industry is in decline for obvious reasons.
You could argue that the YA case to be relatively small given the claimed amount is c$2.3m, which leaves the FIC vs SN, being the most significant case. On one hand, it is a shame that YA have not tried to settle this but I guess as the amount is small and the YA business model is such that they cannot be seen in the public domain to be soft on defaulters as this could be bad for business (being a corporate loan shark).
On FIC vs SN: this case is being fought by the liquidator on behalf of FIC creditors, mainly being the Administrator himself and OMF/SH. Therefore I am not entirely sure how much input/directions Hope can give as this is following a prescribed regulatory process (unless SH stops funding). However I must admit that my memory is fading a little now and this case perhaps relates to the breach in Fiduciary duty by the Company Directors; the PGs being claimed through the Texas County Court and my not be included here but I don’t know current status.
While the company remains ex.communicado to shareholders, it is worth reminding Mr Nicandros that the last official news from the company was in January 2019, although I will acknowledge that a lot of the legal issues have been resolved satisfactorily, including obtaining a permanent injunction against ZM.
From a bigger picture perspective, we still have an expired PSA in Georgia, legal costs owed to GG from losing the Arbitration (although hopefully this is getting paid down from FRR’s share of oil production) and unfriendly political party.
Still lots of hoops to jump through but, step-by-step.
Just some Sunday morning thoughts, concluding with respects and regards to the usual suspects for keeping this bulletin board alive.
Robin Dunnigan is good news. Stanberry lecture educational
but of no interest to FRR investors ?
Mapp is still there and needs good news to keep going.
FRR was a shock, HL the last straw, NWG an eyeopener.
Finance is for insiders who collect Millions with ease
while the rest of us is there to be fleeced.
A nice find, keysersoze - Ms. Dunnigan, the designated US ambassador to Georgia, is clearly very, very pro-Ukrainian and very, very anti-Russian. That article (even though it is dated 08/05/22) implies that she will not quietly put up with any future pro-Russian activity from the Georgian government or their paymaster, Ivanishvili. Whether this will effect the GG's stance towards FRR and other US firms remains to be seen. I think it bodes well.
I find it incredible that someone can accuse BP of "excessive green policies ", as much as I want to make some money from my investment here, you have to be blind to not see what's happening to the planet in front of our very eyes and to say that one of the biggest causes is "excessively green" is laughable.
Https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.rferl.org/amp/ukraine-russia-war-dunnigan-state-department-interview/31839947.html
""We are fortunate to have our own natural resources. And Europe is still in many cases...dependent on Russia for oil and natural gas. However, we welcome the commitment to try to decrease that dependence as quickly as possible.… We should work as hard as we can in the coming months and years to really become -- once and for all -- not dependent on Russian energy," said Dunnigan, who served as deputy U.S. assistant secretary for energy diplomacy in the State Department from 2014 to 2017."
No problem WHamBoy - the company will always mean the entity holding our shares as opposed to the sub entities, ZM copies etc.
Cheers for your swift response Looed. Re the company, that’s what I thought. It certainly always takes me forever differentiating between our version and Zaza’s version of Frontera, so I can see why you’ve started to just say the company 👍🏻.
And yes, slowly, slowly, we do seem to be getting near to the end. Whether we’ll be happy with result, remains to be seen, but I do draw consolation from the efforts being made.
WHamBoy - regarding the use of "the company". In following so many cases I just use "the company" to refer to FRC, the parent entity, and to separate it (at least in my head) from other parties such as FIC, FRGC etc. So "the company" is just one of the many entities that need to be followed. Filings and motions always talk in the 3rd person so I think that has rubbed off on me.
I agree it's good news this case has closed. Whilst it was expected given the settlement in the Federal case, it is good to finally get the confirmation. That leaves YA to be dealt with and which the company are very confident they will prevail. In the other major case and if precedent is anything to go by, the settlements in the Hope Federal case should bode well for the FIC v SN case given Hope's role in the case.
So the Mourant Case is closed - good news. Another one chalked off 😄. And YA make a new move, a last desperate attempt to have their foreign judgement recognised. Hopefully the judge will continue to agree with Frontera. Thanks Looed. We seem to be moving closer to a result here.
On a separate question, can I ask why you now almost always refer to our Frontera as “the company”? Is this to avoid confusion between our Frontera and Zaza’s Frontera ?, or has “the company” asked you to do so? No problem if you can’t answer this - it just struck me this evening for the first time as something relatively new😄.