German Thyssen Krupp and Otto Wolf win 29-year old trial against Romania's Metalexportimport

Romania's longest ever trial ended in February, after 29 years. Former Romanian external trade company Metalexportimport lost its court battle with German companies Thyssen Krupp and Otto Wolf, in a trial which started in December 1983. The stake of the trial, which was concluded by the High Court of Cassation and Justice (the court file here), was of USD 60 million that Metalexportimport was hoping to recover from the foreign companies, for 68,200 tonnes of thick plate.

The German companies were represented by the Romanian law firms Muşat & Asociaţii and NNDKP. The trial was conducted over the years by Romanian lawyers Gheorghe Musat, Ion Nestor, Ana Diculescu -Sova and Constantin Visinescu. Metalexportimport, which dealt with exports from the Sidex Galati manufacturer (now ArcelorMittal), signed a contract of USD 30 million with American company IMC in the early 80s. Just before delivery, the American company said it did not have enough money to pay for the thick plate and needed more time to find a financier. The two German companies pledged to pay the money, so the merchandise was shipped. Soon after the American company went bankrupt and the payment to Metalexportimport was never made. The Romanian company was offered a USD 5 million settlement after the American firm's bankruptcy, but it did not accept it and chose to take the financiers to court instead. After privatization, a group of Russian investors took over Metalexportimport. editor@romania-insider.com