Gobustan Operating Company lost court hearing on Ecology Ministry suit

Gobustan Operating Company is engaged in the development of the South-Western
Gobustan field. The company has perspectives to start commercial sales of the SOCAR gas
since the current October.  

According to the head of the Ministry, despite the loss at the court, GOC carries out
cleaning of the polluted area. "Although the Company resists the violations, discovered by the
Ministry, it carries out cleaning of the area from the oil, he pointed out.

The court hearing between the Ministry of Ecology and GOC lasts for nearly 2 years. The
Ministry filed a suit against the Company on compensating the damages, inflicted on the earth
upper layers during the oil and gas operations.  The amount of penalty is 719,7 million manats
(some $153,000).