Nafta Moskva not considering purchase of Polyus Gold stock from Prokhorov's structures
MOSCOW. Sept 11 (Interfax) - Nafta Moskva (Cyprus) Ltd, which manages Suleiman Kerimov's assets, has not confirmed information that the company is purchasing Polyus Gold International Limited stock from Mikhail Prokhorov.
"Nafta Moskva refutes statements by Russian and international media outlets that the company is considering acquiring Polyus Gold shares that belong to Mikhail Prokhorov's structures," Nafta Moskva said in a statement.
Forbes earlier quoted sources in financial circles as saying that Prokhorov is preparing to sell his stake in Polyus Gold (37.8%) to Kerimov.
Kerimov currently owns 40.22% in Polyus Gold.
One source told Forbes that Kerimov had already reached an agreement on a loan with VTB.
Polyus said that it would not comment on market rumors. Furthermore, Prokhorov's Onexim Group declined to comment on the story.
The next phase after the deal with Prokhorov could be the merger of Polyus Gold with Polymetal, which is Russia's leading silver producer, sources told Forbes. No negotiations for this are underway but Kerimov and Prokhorov already attempted to reach such an agreement with Polymetal shareholders at the start of 2012.
In future, Kerimov, who is a major shareholder in Uralkali, might attempt to develop a Russian equivalent to BHP Billiton, by creating an enormous company, which would include the leading mining enterprises, Forbes writes.
