“MOL found out today, from the press, about the transaction which will take place between OMV and Surgutneftegas, by which OMV will sell its entire share package to the latter. MOL was not previously consulted. We take it that Surgutneftegas sees MOL shares as an attractive investment opportunity,” officials of the Hungarian group said yesterday.
“No strategic or operating relations between Surgutneftegas and MOL have existed,” said MOL officials. According to a press statement issued yesterday by OMV, the Austrian group gave up its plans as of August 2008 to merge with MOL, due to competition-related restrictions imposed by the European Union and the opposition of the Hungarian company’s management.
Jakub Zidon, Research Manager of the Ceska Sporitelna bank, told Business Standard that “the Austrian group paid some €250 million for about 10 percent of MOL, and almost €1.1 billion for the second 10 percent package. As such OMV has a minor gain of 3-5 percent from this deal.”
