Member Info for Looed

Pt.3

J1 - I should also recall the senators' letter, dated May 15, sent to the US Secretary of State and the Minister of Finance, which spoke directly of geopolitical signs, the same Iranian interests, Russian interests, US rivals and enemies, including Iran, because of Georgia's illegal financial ties and this endangers the security and business interests of the United States. There is a rather serious accusation in this case, which was based on the case of Frontera. Does the government state that it has won in the arbitration?

ZM - First of all, in international arbitration, in this case, there is no winning side. The country was affected, the oil and gas corporation was affected, the Ministry of Economy was affected, we were affected and the Georgian people were affected. Because Georgia has once again emerged because of the aggressive attitude that the Georgian government has taken towards us, everyone has suffered. But what really happened is that they wanted to terminate the contract and the court refused to do so, they wanted us to pay a fine as if we had violated the terms of the contract. The fine was more than 300 million and the arbitration refused the state. We asked the state to meet us and announce together the decision of the arbitral court.

J1 - They do not want to meet with you?

ZM - They don’t want and are not even trying to contact us. By the way, not only on this issue, we even wanted to create a consortium to launch a multibillion-dollar project in 2019, and neither Prime Minister nor one of the representatives of the state wanted to meet us.

J1 - In principle, you are making very serious accusations against the government of Bidzina Ivanishvili. You are directly telling him that he is giving up on geopolitical interests. Do you hope this case will be resolved?

ZM - Of course, we are always hopeful because it depends on the will. If there is a will in the country and in the government, we will always find the terms of the agreement and we will not ask for anything. We do not ask for any help. The only thing we want is for the state to fulfill its contractual obligation and act according to the arbitral decision.

J1 - If not, will there be more austerity from congressmen and senators? Do you expect this?

ZM - I think there will be more communication because the United States is a very big fan of Georgia and the Georgian people. This support is growing day by day, and especially economically in these difficult conditions, when the Georgian economy is practically ruined, we need their support to attract more capital.

Pt.2

J1 - You have been in this market since 1997, Mr. Zaza. Complaints were heard in your address even before 2013.

ZM - The complaints, the reprimands, the problems, of course, were there, but they were quite insignificant and not so thorough and gigantic. We were dealing with this. Such things often happen in such projects, but since 2013 it has changed that ... Here, now I will tell you what happens. We are just visible because we have made bigger investment than others. Here are Philip Morris, Georgian-American Eloys, Iconia Capital, companies operating in various industries. They have the same problems as we do. At the same time American NGOs, NDI and IRI. You know how the government publicly discredits them. Add to this the fact that in the last 6 months or 1 year, it has become very trendy to curse American politicians on TV. And you remember the fake Facebook pages with which the state sponsors anti-American sentiment on web. Well, to put it all together is a pretty bad trend. Look the other way now. Russian-sanctioned Rosneft violates not only Georgian law, but also works in Abkhazia and has no right to work in Georgia - it is sanctioned by the United States. Nevertheless, the strategic position in Poti oil and oil products trading in Georgia. This is when the largest American investor has been threatened with termination of the contract and revocation of the license since 2013. How can these two be in harmony with each other?

J1 - Do you directly accuse the Georgian government of establishing Russian kleptocratic rule in this country?

ZM - It was disguised for years. They tried to disguise this as if our strategic relationship with the United States was developing. For example, in January, a parlament speaker visited Washington with the foreign relations minister and stated that there were 267 American companies operating in Georgia. You can not list many American companies that invest in Georgia and have an office in the United States. In fact, perhaps 10 companies are not like that.

J1 - So you are saying that outflow of the American investment is taking place? What are you saying?

ZM - One is that investments are flowing out and no longer coming in, and the other is that they are giving false information to Washington and its people. Unfortunately, this is the facade that prevents the capital investment that we have to make, to get much more natural gas and oil, to supply the consumer and the Georgian economy at a more competitive price, it is hindered and we can not do it.

Although nothing new here, it is FRR focused and I suppose it neatly summarises events and ends on a hopeful note. Better than some of the translations we have had. At a guess I would say this falls into approx June - Aug timeline.

Pt.1

J1 - Zaza Mamulaishvili is our guest now and we will go through the details with him. Hello, Mr. Zaza. Thank you for being our guest.

ZM - Thanks for invitation.

J1 - Frontera - In short, this line in relations with international partners has not gone beyond the Georgian Dream. You again point to the lobbying of Russian companies, the oppression of American companies and investment. Do you see this picture in the geopolitical aspect? What is actually happening around you?

ZM - Unfortunately, such a picture has emerged in the last 7-8 years. We have been working in Georgia for 23 years. We have invested more than half a billion in US dollars. We have created a huge value and value for the country, which means that we have found a very large supply of natural gas and oil, which should be consumed for the welfare of Georgia. But unfortunately, since 2013 we have been seeing a very tendentious and discriminatory attitude towards American investments in particular and this is happening at the expense of other Chinese, Russian and Iranian companies and their business interests.

J1 - You also mentioned Gazprom in the letter. Ivanishvili encourages Russian and Chinese companies and oppresses American companies - do you see the picture in such black and white colors?

ZM - Here, for example, as a result of our work we have discovered a very large supply of gas, which has also been confirmed by very large and well-known American independent companies.

J1 - Where are these supplies?

ZM - This is in southeastern Georgia, in Kakheti.

J1 - And, why is not it visible?

ZM - 350 billion cubic meters. How can it not be seen? We were constantly informing the state about this, but for some reason they never wanted to talk about it and on the contrary they said there is nothing there and nothing interesting is happening. At this time when well-known American independent certification companies, are proving such supplies, the Georgian government is trying to ignore all this and prevent the company from drilling more wells, extracting more gas, and supplying the country at a cheaper and more competitive price.

Don't think we picked up on this at the time - from 23/11/20.

US Approves Trade Milestone with Georgia: “Opening up access to the US market will bring more jobs and prosperity to all Georgians.”

At the end of October, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced that Georgia has met all the standards necessary to maintain preferential trade status (TPS) with the United States. USTR specifically cited Georgia’s improvement in the protection of worker rights.

This all adds up to a significant win for Georgia. Georgian government leaders have made free markets and foreign investment a top priority to continue to position Georgia as a gateway hub linking East and West providing access to markets representing hundreds of millions of consumers.

Opening up access to the US market will bring more jobs and more prosperity to all Georgians. The growing economic relationship between the US and Georgia was underscored by the recent visit to Georgia by Secretary Pompeo.

During his visit to Georgia, Secretary of State Pompeo underscored to Prime Minister Gakharia that strong bilateral economic cooperation between the two nations is an essential component of national and geo-political security of Georgia. Said Pompeo, “We’ll get our economies back up and going again. This is central for the prosperity of our – of your country and of the region and of the world.

As it relates to Georgia, the official USTR public statement said that the GSP is the largest and oldest U.S. trade preference program, designed to promote economic development by allowing duty-free entry into the United States for 3,500 products from the 119 designated beneficiary countries and territories. To remain eligible for these advantages, beneficiary countries must comply with 15 statutory eligibility criteria, including taking steps to afford internationally recognized worker rights, providing adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights, and assuring equitable and reasonable access to its markets."

https://georgiaembassyusa.org/2020/11/23/us-approves-trade-milestone-with-georgia-opening-up-access-to-the-us-market-will-bring-more-jobs-and-prosperity-to-all-georgians/

(Apologies if already posted)

It can't be cut & pasted but the judge has SIGNED the YA version of the Motion to Stay. This is part of the Motion I posted earlier-

"Having considered the Motion, YA's response to the Motion, Frontera's reply in support of the Motion, and the arguments of counsel at the hearing, the Court finds that the Motion should be GRANTED IN PART. Frontera’s request for a stay is GRANTED. The Court defers consideration of Frontera’s Motion to Vacate, YA’s response and the pending discovery motions of both parties in this matter until all proceedings related to or arising from Claim No. CL-2020-000010, YA II PN LTD v. Frontera Resources Corporation in the High Court of Justice Queen’s Bench Division Commercial Court Royal Courts of Justice (“UK Proceedings”) are resolved."

Coggy might be right about Moldova being the next place for court action. This is from a Moldova news item -

"At stake is the Republican Stadium, where the United States wants to build the third largest embassy and Intelligence Center in the world. Also, the US is annoyed by PSRM's attempt to terminate the agreement on the concession of 40% of the territory of Moldova in favor of the US offshore Frontera Resources LTD!"

https://telegraph.md/opinie-obiectivul-protestului-este-de-a-intimida-deputatii-de-a-i-obliga-sa-refuze-aprobarea-acestor-legi-pentru-popor/

Hi Tenners,

I use this site - https://www.hcdistrictclerk.com/Edocs/Public/search.aspx

Just search Frontera Resources using the 'Party Inquiry' tab and the case list will come up. YA is the last case.

But you will need to register to access the case files but the registration is easy. I think you might need to input a US phone number but I just entered a random number in this format - 123 456 7890. You don't need to put your home address, just email and phone (I think).

Once registered, re-run the search and click on the case name which should open a new window with lots of tabs. Click on the 'Images' tab which is top right of the pop up window and the case filings come up in date order with the latest files at the top. They can be opened and most can be cut and pasted without the need to purchase.

It's an easy process so you shouldn't have any problem.

erazzel - that is a different video. The video being translated is a 1 on 1 interview of around 10 mins. The translation will hopefully give us a clue as to when it was broadcast.

It might be from around June / July time as ZM and the presenter aren't as socially distant / masked up as the more recent TV show formats tend to be.

Sorry - I think Pt.3 is a proposed motion submitted by YA counsel not FRR counsel. So the judge would seem to have 1 proposed motion from each side (FRR in Pt.1 and YA in Pt.3) for her consideration.

This is from the FRR presentation I posted a few days ago. FRR counsel asked for a Stay or to Vacate the enforcement order. This is the Stay part which seems to have been granted, though the final version isn't yet signed -

STAY this lawsuit pending resolution of the UK Appeal

• § 36A.008: “If a party establishes than an appeal from a foreign-country judgment is pending or will be taken, the court may stay any proceedings with regard to the foreign-country judgment until . . .”

• Application to Set Aside UK Judgment is pending.

– necessary first step in UK appeal process.

– no direct right of appeal: default judgment is “administrative act” not “judicial decision.” – if denied, appeal will be taken.

• Harm if no stay: burdensome/moot discovery and risk of inconsistent rulings.

Relief Requested

• Stay all proceedings in this Court because an appeal of the UK Default Judgment is “pending or will be taken”

Pt.4 FRR Counsel letter confirms Stay was granted

Dear Judge Phillips:

Enclosed is Defendant’s proposed order on Defendant’s Motion to Stay or Vacate Enforcement Order, which the Court heard last week on December 10. We believe this order accurately reflects the Court’s ruling granting a stay. We have conferred with Plaintiff’s counsel but have been unable to reach agreement on the form of order.

Thank you for your consideration of this letter. Very Truly Yours,

Anne Johnson
State Bar No. 00794271

Pt.3 FRR revised Stay (proposal)

ORDER GRANTING STAY OF PROCEEDINGS
61ST JUDICIAL DISTRICT
12/15/2020 10:59:04 AM Marilyn Burgess - District Clerk Harris County
Envelope No: 48956020
By: JEFFERSON, TIFFANY S Filed: 12/15/2020 10:59:04 AM
On December 10, 2020, the Court heard argument on Defendant Frontera Resources Corporation's Motion to Stay Proceedings or Vacate Enforcement Order (the "Motion"). Having considered the Motion, YA's response to the Motion, Frontera's reply in support of the Motion, and the arguments of counsel at the hearing, the Court finds that the Motion should be GRANTED IN PART. Frontera’s request for a stay is GRANTED. The Court defers consideration of Frontera’s Motion to Vacate, YA’s response and the pending discovery motions of both parties in this matter until all proceedings related to or arising from Claim No. CL-2020-000010, YA II PN LTD v. Frontera Resources Corporation in the High Court of Justice Queen’s Bench Division Commercial Court Royal Courts of Justice (“UK Proceedings”) are resolved. Accordingly, this Court:
ORDERS that Frontera’s Motion for Stay is GRANTED; and
ORDERS that all proceedings in this Court are STAYED pending the final determination by the English Courts of the UK Proceedings.
4825-0618-5428
Unofficial Copy Office of Marilyn Burgess District Clerk
4825-0618-5428
2
SO ORDERED this ____ day of December, 2020.

Pt.2 YA objections

Dear Judge Phillips:

Since the hearing in this matter on December 10, 2020 counsel for Plaintiff and Defendant have been in communication regarding the form of order to be submitted to the Court in this matter. The parties were unable to reach an agreement, and Plaintiff has therefore submitted its own proposed order on this date. Plaintiff objects to Defendant’s proposed order as submitted.

The entry of Defendant’s proposed order is likely to lead to future disputes between the parties. As a comparison of the proposed orders submitted by Defendant and Plaintiff will confirm, Defendant’s proposed order is overly vague with respect to the pending proceedings in the United Kingdom and when the stay will expire. Specifically, Defendant’s proposed order uses general phrases such as “until all proceedings related to or arising from” the UK proceedings are resolved, rather than being limited to the specific UK proceeding that was the subject of its motion for a stay. It also states that the stay shall be in place “pending the final determination” of the UK proceedings, which is rather vague.

Plaintiff’s proposed order, which Defendant has rejected, more specifically and accurately describes the pending UK proceedings and, regarding the expiration of the stay, makes it clear that the stay shall expire upon the exhaustion of all timely-filed appeals of the judgment of the UK Court in that proceeding. Such specificity will prevent Defendant from continuing to extend the stay in this Court by filing additional, “related” proceedings in the UK. Plaintiff believes that its more specific order more accurately describes the Court’s ruling at the hearing on December 10, 2020.

Thank you for your consideration of this proposed order.

Seems the court has granted a Stay, both sides have been told to come up with an agreement. There will be 4 sections, FRR Proposed Stay, YA Objections, FRR Revised Stay, FRR counsel letter confirming the Stay.

FRR 1st Proposed stay (not signed by the judge)

ORDER GRANTING STAY OF PROCEEDINGS
On December 10, 2020, the Court heard argument on Defendant Frontera Resources Corporation's Motion to Stay Proceedings or Vacate Enforcement Order (the "Motion"). Having considered the Motion, YA's response to the Motion, Frontera's reply in support of the Motion, and the arguments of counsel at the hearing, the Court finds that the Motion should be GRANTED IN PART. Frontera’s request for a stay is GRANTED. The Court defers consideration of Frontera’s Motion to Vacate, YA’s response and the pending discovery motions of both parties in this matter until Frontera’s application to set aside the judgment in Claim No. CL-2020- 000010, YA II PN LTD v. Frontera Resources Corporation in the High Court of Justice Queen’s Bench Division Commercial Court Royal Courts of Justice (“UK Proceeding”) is ruled upon and any timely-filed appeals of that ruling decided. Accordingly, this Court:
ORDERS that Frontera’s Motion for Stay is GRANTED; and
ORDERS that all proceedings in this Court are STAYED pending the ruling of
the English Court on Frontera’s application to set aside the judgment in the UK
Proceeding and any timely-filed appeals of that ruling.

SO ORDERED this ____ day of December, 2020.
____________________________________ HON. FREDERICKA PHILLIPS Presiding Judge

There is about a grand or so left in the pot so enough for quite a few more translations if needed.

haha thanks for clarifying :)

I checked with LSE admin and they told me the posts hadn't been deleted, so maybe just some delay in the system. I can see both my posts are online now.

The translator has also replied and is unable to tell when this was broadcast. As this interview does seem FRR focused (hopefully) rather than ZM as the political talking head I told the translator to proceed with the translation. Should take a couple of days. This will be Translation #38.

This is my second attempt at posting this. This is an interview with ZM discussing a FRR statement but I can't tell if it's really new or not, so have asked the translator to take a look. Can't think why this sort of post would get taken down by admin as its directly related to the company.

https://formulanews.ge/Programs_Video/?????????%20???????:%20???????%20????%20????????????/1233

I can't tell if this is old or not, I don't think we have had this translated. They seem to be discussing a FRR press release. I will ask the translator if he can work out when it was transmitted.

https://formulanews.ge/Programs_Video/?????????%20???????:%20???????%20????%20????????????/1233

Hi Toatie - not as are as I can see, just both sides supporting / defending the motions. No indication that I can see when we should expect judgements but we will keep checking.