The Deal of the Century
…or at least one of them. To whom will Prokhorov’s stake in Norilsk fall? So far everything has been civil in this epic business drama, with the normal use of lawyers and contracts instead of bureaucratic favors, but many are wondering how long the Kremlin will wait on the sidelines. The Times reports:
This is where Moscow watchers say the rivalry between the oligarchs starts to get really complicated. Mr Potanin is said to be proposing to use Norilsk shareholder funds to buy a 25 per cent stake in Gazmetal, allowing Mr Usmanov to use this cash to then buy out Mr Prokhorov. This has concerned a number of London financial institutions who hold minority stakes in Norilsk as they will effectively be subsidising the acquisition of their own company.