Austria's Raiffeisen Bank wins default judgment against Rasperia

Sept 22 (Reuters) - Raiffeisen Bank International said on Tuesday a regional court in Vienna has issued a default judgment against European Union-sanctioned Russian firm Rasperia, ordering it to pay damages of about €3.15 billion ($3.60 billion).

The lender said Rasperia has four weeks to appeal. If it does not, the judgment will become final and RBI will ask Austria's financial market regulator to release Rasperia's frozen Austrian assets so it can enforce the damages claim.

Those assets, frozen under European Union sanctions, include 28.5 million shares in Austrian construction group Strabag, dividends accrued since 2021 and proceeds from a capital reduction carried out in March 2024.

"We have a responsibility to the shareholders of Raiffeisen Bank International to effectively address the damage incurred in Russia. Today's judgment is an important step in this process," CEO Michael Hoellerer said in a statement.

Rasperia could not immediately be reached for comment outside regular business hours.

RBI's claim stems from a dispute over a failed 2023 deal, under which its Russian unit planned to acquire Rasperia's stake in Strabag, a transaction later abandoned because of sanctions concern.

A Russian court subsequently ordered RBI's Russian subsidiary to pay €2 billion in damages to Rasperia, prompting the Austrian lender to pursue compensation through Rasperia's frozen assets in Austria.

Raiffeisen sought about €3.15 billion in damages from Rasperia, arguing the Russian judgment had caused it substantial losses.

($1 = 0.8746 euros)

(Reporting by Bipasha Dey in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar)