Interview with Edouard Rebgun

In view of the recent auctions which put an end to the Yukos saga, the company's bankruptcy commissioner, Edouard Rebgun, joined RT to speak about the bankruptcy process as a whole.

Edouard Rebgun: Selling all these assets will not be enough to cover all of Yukos debts. Two BLN US dollars will be outstanding. So Yukos will still owe money. That's why when shareholders turned to me I told them there were not enough assets in Russia. That's when articles about Yukos foreign assets were released I sent inquiries to clarify the issue. But I haven't received a response yet. When I finish selling these assets, this will no longer be my problem. Shareholders will have to deal with it.

Russia Today: These two auctions are the last ones, bringing an end to the bankruptcy process. But is it the end or are there are still unresolved issues?

E.R.: There are other issues that need to be resolved. Many are legal, which makes them difficult to time or evaluate. We have law suites to take care of, as well as lot of archival issues. These are small tasks but they need to be done. That's why I asked for another six months. I was given three. For big companies it usually takes two years.

RT: The Yukos case has received a lot of attention both at home and abroad. And you were the person in charge of it. What was it like?

E.R.: This is a huge company. Someone told me you've become part of history. Of course, you can become part of history, or you can ruin it. I've done a lot of the first. We have to take difficult decisions, there is a lot of routine work. This was very hard but I am calm because I can explain every single one of my decisions and show the respective figures.

RT: Have you been pressured in any way?

E.R.: Of course, everyone wants to get their money on time, and not to give any. Everyone has an interest in resolving quickly issues based on their opinion. This is normal. As a result, conflict is inevitable.

RT: You have some pretty tight security in your office. Are you afraid to walk on the street? Are you afraid of what will happen after Yukos?

E.R.: I don't have enemies. All I've done is to follow orders but even medics can have enemies – it's the same with this. I just acted in accordance with the law. But I do understand I've now become a public figure.