End of the juridical troubles about OK-GLI
A BAHRAINI court yesterday ordered that a space shuttle (OK-GLI), which has been stranded in Bahrain for over four years, be returned to its Russian owners. The Buran has been stranded in Bahrain since mid-2002 due to a court dispute over who it belongs to.
Russian company NPO Molniya originally sold it to Singapore-based Space Shuttle World Tour, but later filed a case in the Bahrain courts claiming the latter failed to make all the payments.
The High Criminal Court ruled in NPO Molniya’s favour on October 31 last year and ordered for the sale contract to be terminated.
However, the Singaporean company appealed against the verdict in the Supreme Civil Appeal Court, which upheld the original verdict yesterday.
Under the terms of sale, the Singaporean company agreed to buy the Buran for $320,000 (BD120,960).
It was supposed to pay the amount in two equal instalments and coughed up $160,000 (BD60,480) in April 2002.
However, it failed to meet a condition that said it should pay the second instalment within a month.
The shuttle was brought to Bahrain by Pico in July 2002 and was a feature of the Bahrain Summer festival.
Pico had negotiated with Space Shuttle World Tour to bring it here, but a case was filed in Bahrain by NPO in 2002 to prevent the shuttle from being sent to Thailand as a tourist attraction – claiming the sale was null and void because Space Shuttle World Tour had breached the contract.
Bahrain’s Supreme Civil Appeal Court also ruled yesterday that Pico, or any other party, had any right to the spacecraft.
Bahrain’s Cassation Court has previously overruled a High Civil Court decision that the dispute fell outside Bahraini jurisdiction.
Before coming to Bahrain, Buran was shipped to Australia in 2000 to become a tourist attraction, but failed to earn enough money to stay open.
The GDN reported last September that labourers had been sleeping inside the shuttle after getting through a hole in its structure.
Posted on:
2007-03-30 under
Buran OK-GLI.
6 comments
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Comments
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Comment
from
Vassili Petrovitch
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Hello,
for now the situation of the shuttle is not clear. Normaly it should goes to that museum in Germany, and maybe they will lend it to the Malaysia exhibition (but nobody knows what shuttle they will use there).
I will know more in few weeks.
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Comment
from
Margrit
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Hello, there are some news at: http://www.gulfweekly.com/Article.asp?Article=15658
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Comment
from
Hanan Sinar
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The Hong Kong’s organiser is taking very high risk to have the idea that the Singaporean company will deliver the BURAN on time!!! Hahaha!
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Comment
from
Sheikh Sobri Saeed
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Hello! Very unlikely the Singapore company have to chance to ship OK-GLI to Hong Kong for the Hong Kong Space Shuttle 2007. Alot of people in HK will be very disapointed!
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Comment
from
Margrit Elser
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This is to inform you about the latest development according the Buran case in Bahrain.
Kevin Tan (Space Shuttle World Tour) has already lost six cases against NPO Molniya/Auto-und TechnikMuseum Sinsheim.
Nevertheless he recently filed a new case against Molniya claiming costs he would have had with the Buran over the last four years. This claim is based on the fact that he doesn´t recieve ownership. It is strange to make the owner responsible for costs which are the consequence of a default of payment.
Tan recieved another arrest on the Buran in order to save this strange claim. Even worse the jugde is not giving Molniya the possibilty to prevent a substitute security (guaranty/cash deposit).
Tan argues that he cannot estimate the full amount of his damage. His laywer is talking about 3.700.000 USD. But the lawsuit and the according fees are only 160.000 USD. Anyway the Bahraini court is not accepting any substitute security in order to give a quick release to Germany.
At the same time Tan is claiming ownership at casation court.
Tan has leased the Buran to Kuala Lumpur in October 2006 right at the time when he lost first level at High Civil Court about ownership (verdict 31 October) . This verdict ruled that the contract between Molniya and SSWT is non and void because of default of payment. The organizer in Kuala Lumpur most have paid some Million Dollars in advance to him.
In April Tan invited an old emoplyee of Molniya to come to Bahrain. This gentlemen had an old power of authorisation and transferred ownership of Buran to SSWT at a Bahraini notary. At the same time Tan was negotiating with the new management of Molniya. He exactly new about the circumstances. With the help of this document Tan tried to release the Buran. He was supported by a court order that harmed two other arrests on Buran. Finally Tan failed and following lost two new court cases with which he was claiming ownership becuase of this illegal document.
Meanwhile Tan leased the Buran again for another show in Honkong with his company Mactus International Ltd.. Please find information under http://www.hkspaceshuttle.com .
The ornaizer in Hong Kong is confident to recieve the Buran right in time.
After the disaster of Kuala Lumpur it seems like Tan is abusing the Bahraini courts for another decieve. Please find additional information under:
http://www.gulfweekly.com/Article.asp?Article=15658
http://www.gulfweekly.com/Article.asp?Article=15814
http://www.gulfweekly.com/Article.asp?Article=16279
It seems like the procedures will take some more time. Let us hope that the Bahraini courts are strong enough to prevent justice!
Comment from greg
Time: 2007-04-17, 10.20
Does this court decision mean OK-GLI will finally be sold to a museum in Germany? There are also reports that some version of Buran will be on display this summer in Malaysia (http://www.mia2007.com/). Since it was supposed to be brought in from Bahrain, I assumed it was OK-GLI. Can you clear up the confusion?