Bailiffs to collect 2-bln-ruble turnover-based fine from Meta

MOSCOW. April 5 (Interfax) - Russian bailiffs have opened a case to forcibly collect a turnover-based fine of about 2 billion rubles from the Meta company (designated as extremist and banned in Russia) over multiple refusals to remove content prohibited in Russia.

According to the databank of the Federal Bailiffs Service, an enforcement procedure was opened in the company's regard on March 24 on the basis of a writ from Moscow's Tagansky District Court to collect a fine of 1,990,985,000 rubles.

At the end of December 2021, a magistrates' court in Moscow imposed the minimal turnover-based fine of 5% of the 2020 annual revenue on Meta and Google. The court ordered that Meta pay an almost 2-billion-ruble turnover-based fine because of repeat violations, and a turnover-based fine of over 7.2 billion rubles was imposed on Google.

The companies were found guilty of a repeat offense, i.e. a failure of Internet resource owners to remove information as required by Russian laws. Such an offense committed by legal entities is penalized with 5% to 10% of the annual revenue generated in the previous year.

On February 15, Moscow's Tagansky District Court upheld the turnover-based fine on Meta.

On March 21, Moscow's Tverskoi District Court processed a motion from the Prosecutor General's Office, designated the U.S. company Meta Platforms Inc. as an extremist organization, and prohibited distribution of products of the Facebook and Instagram social networks in the Russian territory. The ruling does not apply to the WhatsApp messenger.