Selected Experience

• Tax Advice for Oil and Gas Companies. Advised national and international oil and gas companies on taxation and subsoil use payments associated with the commencement of commercial production, the application of special tax regimes and the tax implications of new legislative provisions.

• Tax Structuring and Transactional Tax. Advised international companies on the tax structuring of their Kazakhstan operations, employee incentive programmes, cross-border M&A transactions and the acquisition of oilfield services and subsoil use assets.

• Tax Due Diligence. Conducted comprehensive tax due diligence in connection with the indirect acquisition of a Kazakhstan subsoil user through a reverse takeover on the London Stock Exchange and other major transactions in the oil and gas and mining sectors.

• Subsoil Use Transactions. Advised international investors on the acquisition and transfer of subsoil use rights, the acquisition of Kazakhstan oil and gas assets and the tax and regulatory aspects of transactions involving producing and exploration companies.

• Oil and Gas Projects and Infrastructure. Advised on the development of a major oilfield project in Kazakhstan, including the expansion of oil and gas infrastructure, and on the establishment of a joint venture for a gas processing plant project.

• Corporate Governance and Joint Ventures. Advised a Kazakhstan national oil company on risks associated with the management of a joint venture and advised international companies on establishing and maintaining corporate and representative structures in Kazakhstan.

• Financing and Corporate Restructuring. Advised on the restructuring of outstanding financial obligations exceeding USD 15 million, acquisition financing for a marine asset and the transfer of enforcement rights relating to financial liabilities exceeding USD 4.5 million.

• Employment Advice in the Oil and Gas Sector. Advised a major international oil and gas company on the employment and dismissal of senior executives, standard employment agreements, the establishment and operation of a conciliation commission and the settlement of employment disputes through mediation.

• Working Arrangements and Employment Compliance. Advised international companies on remote and part-time working arrangements, working-hour requirements for employees engaged in hazardous conditions and other Kazakhstan employment-law matters.

• Technology and Digital Businesses. Advised major technology, search, advertising, food delivery and software development companies on launching new services and business models in Kazakhstan, including regulatory, tax, commercial and intellectual property matters.

• Financial Services and Market Entry. Advised a European online microfinance provider on launching lending operations in Kazakhstan, including licensing and regulatory compliance, corporate structuring and taxation.

• Compliance, Sanctions and Regulatory Advice. Advised international companies on sanctions-related legal and compliance considerations, anti-bribery policies, mandatory product-labelling requirements and other sector-specific regulatory matters.

• Business Establishment and Closure. Advised international companies on establishing representative offices and other forms of presence in Kazakhstan, as well as corporate and tax deregistration and the orderly closure of local operations.

• Tax and Regulatory Disputes. Advised clients on tax and customs and represented an international supplier of electromechanical equipment in proceedings challenging additional tax assessments of EUR 600,000.