MOSCOW, April 20 (RAPSI) – The 18th Commercial Court of Appeals denied a request by authorities of Russia’s Republic of Bashkortostan to overturn a 192.5-million-rubles ($3.8 million) ruling in favor of oil producer Bashneft for breach of contract, TASS reported on Monday.

The ministries have filed the appeal against the February 19 ruling of the Bashkortostan Court of Appeals, which collected 192.5 million rubles ($3.8 million) from them under a 2001 contract with Bashneft.

In 2006, Bashneft filed a lawsuit to request that the ministries pay for the geological exploration it conducted under a state contract in 2001.

A first-instance court ruled against Bashneft, which appealed the ruling and won the case in 2009. However, the ministries have not paid the funds due to the oil company, and it filed a new lawsuit against them in September 2014.

On February 19, 2015, the Bashkortostan Court of Appeals found the ministries guilty and ordered them to honor the court ruling of 2006.