 In 1997 Rybolovlev was acquitted by courts of law at three levels, including the Presidium of the Supreme Court.Rybolovlev stated that he was extorted in jail to sell the shares of his company in exchange for his freedom, but had refused.In June 2012, Green Patrol, a Russian environmental NGO, listed Uralkali as one of the top 100 polluters in Russia, based on information gathered during the previous years.