In a recent ruling by the Arbitration Court of St. Petersburg, Russia, Ecuadorian company Frutadeli S.A. won a lawsuit against Russian counterpart LLC "Troya Import" over a banana supply contract, resulting in a payment order of nearly $750,000.
According to "Delovoy Peterburg," Frutadeli S.A. signed a contract with the St. Petersburg-based company in 2018 to supply bananas. By the end of 2020, Frutadeli S.A. had delivered six shipments of fresh green Cavendish bananas worth $670,300. The supplier supported their claim with bills of lading and a certificate from the port agent LLC "Baltic Shipping Agency" confirming receipt and unloading of the goods at the port of St. Petersburg. However, the supplier asserted that the buyer paid only slightly more than $5,000.
During the court proceedings, the representative of "Troya Import" did not deny receiving the bananas but disputed the contract's validity. According to the defendant, another Ecuadorian company, Damascoswett S.A., supplied the fruits, and "Troya Import" had allegedly settled the payment in full.
The arbitration court determined that a contract had indeed been established between Frutadeli S.A. and "Troya Import," noting that the parties had discussed delivery terms via correspondence, the plaintiff had sent a draft contract to the defendant, and both parties had begun fulfilling their contractual obligations. Furthermore, "Troya Import" failed to substantiate their claim of purchasing bananas from Damascoswett S.A. As a result, the court ordered "Troya Import" to pay the outstanding debt and interest amounting to $748,900.
Source: 78.ru