March 18, 202210:35 AM GMT+7Last Updated 14 min ago
Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska attends a session of the St.
Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia,
June 3, 2021. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/File Photo
SYDNEY, March 18 (Reuters) - Australia
imposed sanctions on Friday on two Russian oligarchs with links to its mining
industry, one of them a billionaire with an investment connection to Rio
Tinto's Gladstone alumina refinery joint venture.
Foreign Minister Marise Payne said Australia
was working in close cooperation with international partners to increase
sanctions pressure on oligarchs close to Russian President Vladimir Putin over
the invasion of Ukraine.
"Australia has now added two
billionaires with links to business interests in Australia, Oleg Deripaska and
Viktor Vekselberg," Payne said in a statement.
The measures are in addition to curbs on 41
oligarchs and immediate family members who already face targeted financial
sanctions and travel bans, she said.
Payne said the government welcomed Australian
companies taking a principled stand with moves to cut ties with Russia "in
protest of Moscow’s illegal, indefensible war against Ukraine".
Russia says it is carrying out "a
special military operation" to stop the Ukrainian government from
committing "genocide" - an accusation the West calls a fabrication.
Vekselberg is an investor in the Russian
energy sector, who has interests in a company working with Origin Energy on a
gas project in the Beetaloo Basin in the Northern Territory.
Origin said it was seeking clarification on
the sanctions from the Australian government, and told Reuters the Beetaloo
Basin project was not a producing asset and had no earnings.
"Origin reiterates that it is appalled
by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and will comply with all Australian rules
and laws," Origin said in a statement.
It said Vekselberg owned Lamesa Holdings,
which was a minority shareholder in Falcon Oil & Gas, the parent company of
Origin's junior partner in the Beetaloo Basin.
Russian businessman Viktor Vekselberg attends a session
of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Russia June 6,
2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
"Neither Lamesa Holdings nor Mr
Vekselberg are a party to the Beetaloo Basin joint venture. They have no role
in, involvement or dealings with, Origin or the Beetaloo Basin joint
venture," it said.
Big Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto did not
immediately respond to a request for comment on the impact of the sanctions on
Deripaska, who holds 44.9% of EN+ Group, a Russian aluminium and power group.
EN+ Group is the major shareholder in Russian
company Rusal, which has a 20% share in the Queensland Alumina Limited (QAL)
refinery in Gladstone, in a joint venture with Rio Tinto.
Rio Tinto previously said it was cutting ties
with Rusal as part of its overall withdrawal from Russia.
Queensland Alumina Ltd did not respond to a
request for comment.
Deripaska reduced his controlling stake in
EN+ Group from 70% in 2019 - to lift a prior round of U.S. sanctions from the
major aluminium producer.
Reporting by Kirsty Needham and Renju Jose; Editing by
Jacqueline Wong
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