A Belgian court has frozen 115 million euros in assets belonging to Google Belgium as a protective measure in a lawsuit filed by Google’s Russian subsidiary (ООО «Гугл»), according to a report by business publication Vedomosti. The Russian entity is seeking enforcement of a Moscow Arbitration Court ruling ordering that money be recovered from the U.S. corporation’s parent structures.
Vedomosti’s source said the Russian subsidiary is seeking to recover funds that it says were withdrawn from the company as dividends shortly before its bankruptcy proceedings began in 2023. The Moscow Arbitration Court ruled that the dividend payment was made to avoid paying debts to creditors. The Russian side sought to freeze Google Belgium’s assets to prevent possible attempts to restructure or bankrupt the Belgian unit before the case is resolved.
“This is not just a bankruptcy case involving a subsidiary company in Russia. The dispute shows the limits of the moral and legal responsibility of global companies operating in the markets of sovereign countries, whether Russia, France, or Belgium. It is necessary to act wherever Google assets can be found to enforce the Russian court’s decision,” Michael de Bouck, a lawyer representing Google LLC in the Belgian court, told Vedomosti.
After the protective measures were imposed, Google LLC’s claims will be considered on the merits of the case. If the Belgian court agrees with the Russian ruling, the frozen assets could be seized and used to settle debts with creditors of Russia’s Google subsidiary.
The Russian entity has turned to the courts in more than 10 countries seeking enforcement of Russian court rulings. In December, a Paris court ordered the seizure of 100% of Google France shares at the request of the bankruptcy trustee for Google’s Russian subsidiary. The dividend payment in that case totaled 112 million euros. In October, South Africa’s Supreme Court issued a similar ruling.
