Bulgaria's top court upheld Wednesday a previous ruling providing that the Lukoil Neftochim should stay in operation until the legality of its revoked tax warehouse operator license is finally decided.
The Supreme Administrative Court (VAS) thereby allowed the refinery to process fuel until the end of 2011 at the least, given that the first sitting of the Administrative Court Sofia City (ACSC) on the substance of the case has been scheduled for August 31.
The Wednesday ruling of VAS upheld ACSC's conclusions that the preliminary execution of the suspension of the permits of Lukoil Neftochim and Oil Terminal Rosenets would incur substantial or hardly repairable damage to the company.
VAS refuted claims of Bulgaria's Customs Agency that Lukoil Aviation Bulgaria EOOD was not the sole supplier of jet fuel and that there were at least 10 more licensed tax warehouse operators.
According to the document, the jet fuel released from the mandatory state reserves with a July 30 decision of the Council of Ministers had been supplied by Lukoil and "This would not have been necessary if there had been alternative suppliers of the commodity".