Russian jet fighters seized at air show

Judicial authorities today seized aircraft at the Russian stand of the Paris Air Show, carting off jet fighters in a new chapter of a lengthy legal battle between Russia and a Swiss-based company.

The French Foreign Ministry confirmed the seizure but said it does not concern France.

‘‘It’s a judicial procedure which France is not a party to,’’ said ministry spokesman Francois Rivasseau.

The legal battle pits Russia against the Swiss-based company, Noga, which says Russia owes it millions of pounds from oil-for-food deals signed in 1991, the year the Soviet Union dissolved, and 1992.

A French bailiff visited the Russian stand today and an SU-30 MK fighter jet was among the aircraft carted away ‘‘to an unknown place’’, Russia’s Itar-Tass news agency said.

In July 2000, Noga managed to have a renowned Russian sailing ship impounded when it came to France to take part in an international regatta.

The Sedov was finally allowed to sail from the northwestern port of Brest after a court ruled it could not be held for the state’s debts.

In May of last year, a court froze the accounts of Russia’s embassy in Paris, its trade representation and its delegation to UNESCO at Noga’s request.

The move left the embassy struggling to pay its bills for three months.

Russia successfully appealed, arguing that the freeze violated treaties on diplomatic rights and immunity.

Noga, headed by businessman Nessim Gaon, is seeking repayment of stg£44.6.

Attempts to recoup its money were boosted in 1997 when an arbitration court in Stockholm, Sweden, backed its claim