PRAGNUM protects the client’s 50-hectare land plot from a hostile take-over

At the beginning of the 2000s, our client took out a long-term lease on a plot of land. Over the years, they managed to establish a highly profitable business and, as recognition of his success, caught the eye of the raiders gunning for a takeover. Led by the chairman of the local council, lovers of quick money decided to illegally take over someone else’s business with the help of the Prosecutor’s Office. First, the client received a “lucrative offer” to sell the company for a third of its value. After the refusal, the Prosecutor’s Office filed a lawsuit to invalidate the decision of the local council to enter into the contract and, as a consequence, the contract itself. However, the Prosecutor’s Office could not explain why they “woke up” after 20 years of lease, and the chairman of the council was so invested in the outcome of the case that he appointed himself a representative of the council to participate in court hearings.

The prompt intervention of PRAGNUM lawyers eliminated the “psychological pressure” of the Prosecutor’s Office on both the court and the client, which led to the dismissal of the claim and the appeal. The client was happy, although with a bitter aftertaste, and of course, pleased that justice can still be found in Ukrainian courts.