Present Perfect Passive vs. Simple Past Passive?

[Polina]

Hello,
I consider the Present Perfect Tense to be very difficult at some times)))
Please, could someone suggest me whether I should use in the following sentence the Present Perfect or the Past Simple. I hesitate)))
"It will be recalled that at the beginning of the year the memorandum on Yukos Oil Company and Sibneft merger HAS BEEN/WAS signed." Help, please

[Mister Micawber]

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'Was'. The sentence mentions a specific past time point ('the beginning of the year').
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Native English teacher at Mister Micawber's

[Polina]

Thanks, I have already found out)) I was confused by "the beginning of the year", as the year is supposed to go on.