British Council Court Win in Moscow

British Council Court Win

Moscow Times - 30 January 2009

A Moscow appeals court has voided a raft of tax claims against the British Council, which has seen its operations hampered in Russia amid a bitter dispute about its legal status, the council said Thursday.

The city's Ninth Arbitration Appeals Court drastically reduced the original tax claim, which reportedly totaled about 130 million rubles ($3.7 million), the British Council's headquarters in London said in an e-mailed statement.

A British Council spokeswoman reached by telephone in London declined to elaborate, saying the "complex details would first have to be reviewed by lawyers."

It was unclear what Thursday's ruling means for the dispute over the council's legal status in Russia, which culminated in the forced closure of its offices outside Moscow last January. (MT