Russian court rules in favour of Rusal in $1.32 billion lawsuit against Rio Tinto

MOSCOW, Dec 15 (Reuters) - A Russian tribunal has ruled successful favour of Rusal successful the aluminium giant's 104.75-billion-rouble ($1.32 billion) suit against planetary mining ​and metals institution Rio Tinto, according to tribunal documents.

The ruling intensifies a ‌legal conflict implicit a associated alumina refinery successful Queensland, Australia, that Rio took sole power of ‌after Australia imposed sanctions connected Russia implicit its warfare successful Ukraine.

The suit was heard successful closed session, and its details person not been disclosed. Rusal declined to comment. Rio Tinto was not instantly available.

RUSAL SEEKS SUPPLIES FROM ELSEWHERE

Rusal filed the suit aft ⁠losing a lawsuit successful Australia ‌in 2024 to reconstruct its rights to a 20% involvement successful the alumina works Queensland Alumina Ltd (QAL).

Australia responded to the 2022 ‍launch of Russia's subject run successful Ukraine with sweeping sanctions, including a prohibition connected exports of the aluminium earthy worldly to Russia.

Shortly aft the prohibition was imposed successful March 2022, Rio ​took sole power of QAL, sidelining Rusal and cutting its entree to ‌the refinery's output. Rio owns 80% of the refinery.

Rio has nary assets successful Russia, but among the defendants successful Rusal's suit were Rio subsidiaries that ain 66% of the Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold deposit successful Mongolia, a state Moscow calls "friendly" and which has not imposed sanctions connected Russia.

Australia's alumina export prohibition and the suspension of ⁠operations astatine a refinery successful Ukraine prompted Rusal ​to question further supplies from China and different ​countries to provender its Siberian aluminium smelters successful 2022.

In 2025, Rusal said it would gradually get up to a 50% involvement successful ‍an alumina works successful ⁠India. It besides announced plans to physique a caller 4.8-million-ton alumina works successful Russia's Leningrad portion successful 2028.

In 2023, Rusal acquired a 30% involvement successful ⁠a Chinese alumina refinery to enactment feedstock from its assets successful Russia, Ireland, Jamaica and Guinea.

($1 = ‌79.2000 roubles)

(Reporting by Anastasia Lyrchikova successful Moscow. Additional reporting by Clara ‌Denina successful London. Editing by Mark Potter)