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Wikipedia

Wolf Theiss

Wolf Theiss is an Austrian law firm with offices in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It got prominence in Ukraine due to scandals connected with the help to Russia-orbit businesses and persons, including Gazprom.

Main seat of Wolf Theiss in Vienna

History

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Wolf Theiss was founded in 1957 in Vienna. Since 1995, the company has opened offices in Prague (1998), Belgrade (2002), Bratislava (2002), Ljubljana (2003), Zagreb (2003), Tirana (2004), Sarajevo (2005), Bucharest (2005), Budapest (2007) and Sofia (2008),[1] Kyiv (2009).[2]

Wolf Theiss has received numerous "Law Firm of the Year" awards from 2007 to 2022 in Bulgaria, Austria, Czech Republic, Romania and other countries.[3][4][5]

In 2022, Wolf Theiss advised RBI Group on nine debt capital markets transactions in Austria, Romania, and Hungary, with a total issue volume of over EUR 2.5 billion.[6][7][8]

The company's clients are German ZBI Group,[9] Tofane Global,[10] Dacia Plant,[11] Dr. Max Group[12] and others.

Controversies in Ukraine

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The scandal involves the managing partner of Wolf Theiss in Ukraine, Taras Dumych [uk].[13][14] Since 2015, Dumych has been defending the interests of Russian in a lawsuit against the Kyiv authorities for a total of almost four billion hryvnias. The client of Wolf Theiss is known in criminal circles as Tamaz Tobolsky and is associated with the Russian oil mafia.[15] In Ukraine, known for a successful land scam in Odesa[16][17][18] and an attempt to sue the Kyiv community for UAH 4 billion.[19][20][21][22]

The case being handled by Wolf Theiss' partner is related to a company Kyiv Terminal, which won a tender for the reconstruction of Kharkivska Square in 2007. As the work never started, the Kyiv City State Administration terminated the investment agreement with Kyiv Terminal. In 2018, despite the expiration of the statute of limitations, Kyiv Terminal filed a lawsuit to "compensate for losses and lost profits" in the amount of UAH 4 billion.[23][24][25][26]

A journalist, Serhii Ivanov, in his investigation, notes that the Tbilisi plant owned a contractor of the Russian Ministry of Defense. The plant repairs combat aircraft used in the war against Ukraine. Ivanov appealed to the SBU and other government agencies to put on the NSDC sanctions list.[27]

Help to Russia

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Ukrainian blogger and human rights defender Oleksandr Aronets has accused the Ukrainian branch of the Austrian law firm Wolf Theiss, and its head, Taras Dumych [uk], of persistently defending Russian interests since its establishment in Ukraine in 2009, including advocating for Gazprom, Lukoil, and Alfa-groups, as well as Russian-Georgian billionaire [28][29] Aronets detailed how Dumych criticized the nationalization of the Russian bank Sens Bank (formerly Alfa Bank) and underscored that the attorney's remarks were amplified by pro-Russian outlets banned in Ukraine, inferring that the firm acted in favor of Russian entities during pivotal legal and economic events in Ukraine. This includes the support of Emfesz Kft, linked to Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash and Gazprom, during lawsuits against Naftogaz, further contributing to detrimental geopolitical and economic consequences for Ukraine.[30]

Moreover, Aronets emphasized Wolf Theiss's role in the 2015 sale of Lukoil's network of gas stations to Austrian company AMIC, wherein the change of ownership was ostensibly formal, with Russians persisting as the ultimate beneficiaries. In 2022, the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine seized AMIC's assets, alluding to their connections with Lukoil, with Wolf Theiss and Dumych acknowledged as legal representatives in AMIC Energy press releases. Another instance of Dumych's client, Russian-Ukrainian billionaire , attempting to sue Kyiv authorities for $100 million for an incomplete square reconstruction, further raises questions about the firm's alignment and actions, as dubbing himself a "British investor," was found to possess eight Russian passports and had his Ukrainian residence permit revoked in May 2023.[31]

References

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  1. ^ "Wolf Theiss a recrutat un partener, fost avocat la Linklaters". ZF.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  2. ^ "Волчья хватка Wolf Theiss — PRAVO.UA". PRAVO.UA (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  3. ^ Admin, Kevin (2011-03-24). "Wolf Theiss Wins Prestigious Award in Austria". IR Global. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  4. ^ "Wolf Theiss wins the". www.amcham.ro. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  5. ^ "Wolf Theiss - Austria - Firm Profile | IFLR1000". www.iflr1000.com. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  6. ^ Cristian, Deniza (2023-01-26). "Wolf Theiss advises RBI Group on nine Debt Capital Markets trades in Austria, Romania and Hungary". Business Review (in Romanian). Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  7. ^ Boboc, Adelina (2022-12-21). "Wolf Theiss a asistat AFI în cea mai mare tranzacție de finanțare imobiliară de pe piața românească în 2022 - Forbes.ro". Forbes Romania (in Romanian). Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  8. ^ "Wolf Theiss a asistat în 2022 Raiffeisen Bank International şi filialele sale în nouă tranzacţii pe pieţele de capital din Austria, România şi Ungaria". ZF.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  9. ^ gsp (2023-01-23). "ZBI kauft in Graz nachhaltig zu mit Wolf Theiss". Extrajournal.Net (in German). Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  10. ^ gsp (2023-01-18). "Tofane übernimmt Dimoco Messaging mit Wolf Theiss". Extrajournal.Net (in German). Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  11. ^ Cristian, Deniza (2022-10-04). "Wolf Theiss advises the shareholders of Dacia Plant on the sale of a majority stake to Ceres Pharma". Business Review (in Romanian). Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  12. ^ Cristian, Deniza (2022-10-21). "Wolf Theiss advises Dr.Max Group on the acquisition of Gedeon Richter chain of pharmacies". Business Review (in Romanian). Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  13. ^ "Компанию Wolf Theiss призвали уволить адвоката, защищающего интересы российского криминального авторитета". fakty.ua (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  14. ^ "В Киеве протестовали против юридической компании Wolf theiss из-за ее "работы с пророссийскими клиентами" — DSnews.ua". www.dsnews.ua (in Russian). 2023-10-04. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  15. ^ Литвин, Олександр (2022-11-26). "Черновецький та його російський олігарх: як через ексмера у Києва хочуть забрати $100 млн". OBOZREVATEL NEWS (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  16. ^ "Российский "авторитет" Тамаз Сомхишвили провернул земельную аферу в Одессе – расследование". www.unian.net (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  17. ^ "Російський "авторитет" Тамаз Сомхішвілі провернув земельну аферу в Одесі – розслідування". www.unian.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  18. ^ "Кримінальний авторитет Сомхішвілі був частиною схем мера Одеси Труханова, – Кулік". 24 Канал (in Ukrainian). 2023-03-15. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  19. ^ "Російські «сушки» з грузинським чифирьом". Зеркало недели | Дзеркало тижня | Mirror Weekly. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  20. ^ "Аронец: Адвокат гражданина РФ Сомхишвили не пришел на суд по делу, в котором он требует от общины Киева около 4 млрд грн". Гордон | Gordon (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  21. ^ "Российский "авторитет" Тамаз Сомхишвили, желающий отсудить у Киева 4 млрд грн, провернул земельную аферу в Одессе – журналист — Delo.ua". delo.ua (in Russian). 2023-01-16. Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  22. ^ "Миграционная служба аннулировала вид на жительство экс-менеджеру "Лукойла", который требует у Киева $100 млн". Экономическая правда (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-10-13.
  23. ^ creator (2022-11-21). "Тамаз Сомхишвили. Криминал РФ дерибанит Киев • SkeletInfo". SkeletInfo (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  24. ^ "Британський інвестор, який намагається відсудити $100 млн в Києва, насправді може бути громадянином РФ – ЗМІ". Зеркало недели | Дзеркало тижня | Mirror Weekly. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  25. ^ "Кінцевий бенефіціар компанії, яка намагається відсудити у Києва $100 млн – громадянин Росії, – ГУР МО — Delo.ua". delo.ua (in Ukrainian). 24 November 2022. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  26. ^ "Російські "сушки" з грузинським чифирьом". Зеркало недели | Дзеркало тижня | Mirror Weekly. Retrieved 2023-02-24.
  27. ^ "Російські "сушки" з грузинським чифирьом". Зеркало недели | Дзеркало тижня | Mirror Weekly. Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  28. ^ "Міжнародну компанію закликали звільнити українського адвоката, який захищає інтереси "російського кримінального авторитета" - ЗМІ". Апостроф (in Ukrainian). {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  29. ^ Antonina, Soloviova (19 January 2023). "International law firm Wolf Theiss is called for dismissing a lawyer who protects the interests of the Russian".
  30. ^ Цензор.НЕТ (2023-09-22). "WOLF THEISS: ВОВЧА ХВАТКА РОСІЙСЬКОЇ КІСТКИ (Олександр Аронець)". Цензор.НЕТ (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-10-11.
  31. ^ Цензор.НЕТ (2023-09-22). "WOLF THEISS: ВОВЧА ХВАТКА РОСІЙСЬКОЇ КІСТКИ (Олександр Аронець)". Цензор.НЕТ (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-10-11.
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