Customers 19.5% of shares of "Rosneft", which the government plans to sell this year, will be obliged not to enter into a shareholder agreement with BP's, which owns 19.75% state-owned. This RBC told two federal officials and a source in the "Rosneft".

According to one of the officials, the president of "Rosneft" Igor Sechin, fears that in the course of privatization BP will receive a blocking stake in "Rosneft". He therefore suggested that the government will not sell the shares on the market and find at least two buyers at 19.5% among the Asian companies or funds. "The condition of the sale of shares, is likely to be a ban on the conclusion of a shareholder agreement with BP. The decision was not made, but is actively being discussed ", - says the official.

Another interlocutor RBC heard that the package of 19.5% can be divided into three parts and sold to three different investors from Asia with the condition not to enter into shareholder agreements with BP and resell her paper "Rosneft". The ban for new investors to enter into a shareholders' agreement with the British company - "logical", the state company against an increase in the proportion of Britons to interlockingFirst, add the source in the "Rosneft".

The State currently owns 69.5% of "Rosneft" by holding "Rosneftegas", of which 19.5% appear in the privatization plan for 2016 (another rally at the Federal Property Management Agency). This issue was discussed at a meeting with President Vladimir Putin's February 1, dedicated to large-scale privatization. February 20 First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov signed a directive on the preparation of the privatization of "Rosneft". And the Minister of Economic Development Alexei Ulyukayev on Friday, April 8, said that he had signed and sent to the "Rosneftegas" terms of reference for the sale of shares in state companies. This will allow the holding company to sign a contract with investment consultants (whose name he did not name), which will organize the privatization.

Assistant to President Putin and Chairman of "Rosneft" Board of Directors Andrei Belousov at the end of February, called the main goal of privatization of "Rosneft" sell 19% stake to a strategic investor. In his opinion, it will get the maximum bonus. On the open market, that amount can not be placed due to the large scale, he pointed out.

BP"Comfortable" with the current shares in "Rosneft" and the company does not intend to increase it, as previously reported, said RBC representative of BP in Russia, Vladimir Buyanov. The increase in BP's stake in Russia for more than 20% "impractical," BP CEO Robert Dudley said in February. "I think that we should remain at this level (19.75% -. RBC). [...] This is probably our limit, "- he said at the time he (quoted by TASS). According to him, if BP's share in "Rosneft" has exceeded 20%, it would be the relying party, which would complicate the process of approval of transactions with "Rosneft".

Buyanov declined to comment on a possible ban to enter into a shareholder agreement with BP for the new co-owners of "Rosneft". On Friday, 8 April, declined to comment, and a spokesman for "Rosneft" Mikhail Leontiev. Economic Development Ministry spokesman said that this "initiative" in the department is not considered. His colleague from the Federal Property Management Agency declined to comment.

After this article was published on 11 April, the press service of "Rosneft" has released a statement, which implies that Sechin is not asking the Govermentto prohibit the buyers of privatized 19.5% of "Rosneft" shares to enter into a shareholder agreement with BP.

To impose burdens on the sale of securities or to enter into joint agreements on the results of the privatization of "Rosneft" There are two ways - to enter into a shareholders' agreement with the buyer, or specify a point in the contract of sale of shares, says the managing partner of law firm AST Legal Anatoly Yushin. But the separation of the package of 19.5% among several customers together with the prohibition on shareholder agreements with BP may lead to a decrease in value of the asset, he warns.

"Rosneft" - a strategic asset for Russia, therefore such restrictions for foreign investors expected and should not affect the price objection Raiffeisenbank analyst Andrei Polishchuk. The analyst "Opening Capital" Artem Konchin also doubts that this condition greatly affect the cost of "Rosneft" shares: most likely, will not publicly announce a ban on shareholder agreements, the buyer may be required in the subsequent sale of the shares of the company at first they offer the most "; Rosneft "and its structures. According to his estimates, from the sale of 19.5% of the oil company, the state can gain up to $ 10 billion (678 billion rubles.).

On Friday, April 8, 19.5% of "Rosneft" on the Moscow Stock Exchange were worth 649.5 billion rubles.

"Rosneft" called "fantasies" article on the request by BP Sechin
RBC, 11.04.2016

The oil company "Rosneft" has published an official statement on the previously published article on the site of RBC, "Sechin has asked the government to protect from BP's" Rosneft "."

"Rosneft" Information Policy Office stated that the information contained in the article RBC Information "is false and is neither groundless imagination of journalists or their so-called sources".

"Our partnership with BP's, the largest minority shareholder of the company, is a strategic, long-term and trusting nature. Both sides have repeatedly expressed their satisfaction with the level of cooperation and its effective results, "- said in a statement. It also requires oprovrgnut information published on the website of RBC.

Vice-President of "Rosneft" Mikhail Leontiev in an interview BFM.ru gave a detailed assessment of the publications. "The attempt here is so shallow shit is absolutely meaningless, it is even the provocation does not pull. Then, I'm sorry, the sale decision is made by the government, we do not sell. All information is not only a lie, but a sick fantasy. I'd love to turn to the journalistic community, maybe they need help, I do not know, put the yellow card. They [journalists] did not ask directly this question ", - said Leontiev.

Published on Monday, April 11 article said that buyers of 19.5% of shares of "Rosneft", which the government plans to sell this year, may be required not to enter into a shareholder agreement with BP's, which owns 19.5% of state-owned companies. This decision is still pending, but it is being actively discussed, the source told RBC. At the same time one of the officials said that to introduce this restrictive measure proposed by President of "Rosneft" Igor Sechin.