The court found the transfer of money for IKEA goods immoral

A court in Moscow found the transfer of money for IKEA goods remaining in Russia to be contrary to “the fundamentals of law and order or morality.” About it found out “Kommersant”.

According to the case materials, IKEA goods remaining in Russia after the start of the war in Ukraine were bought by Yandex Market in November 2022 for 12.9 billion rubles. These funds were transferred by the Russian structure of IKEA to the accounts of the Irish company.

The court decided that a large transfer of funds to Ireland, considered unfriendly by the Russian authorities, in circumvention of sanctions was immoral, or “anti-social.” The court declared the deal void and ordered the Russian structure of IKEA to pay 12.9 billion rubles to the Russian budget.

Lawyers with whom Kommersant spoke fear that such a decision could become a precedent that would allow property to be confiscated in favor of the state in any transactions that the court deems “anti-social.”

The newspaper’s interlocutors note that not all illegal transactions are immoral. The latter usually include the sale of prohibited drugs, extremist literature, and trafficking in people and human organs.