Headquarters of British-Russian joint venture TNK-BP in Moscow
Photo: AP
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TNK-BP Partners Looking for Dudley
The Russian shareholders in TNK-BP have sent a letter to British Petroleum in Britain asking to be informed of the whereabouts of TNK-BP head Robert Dudley. According to Stan Polovets, head of the AAR consortium (Alfa Group, Access Industries and Renova), they need to know to understand the tax implications of Dudley’s decision to lead the company from abroad. Tax legislation in a number of countries requires companies to pay taxes in the country where its management is located.
The letter notes that Dudley may be in London, which is where the main office of BP is located. Dudley recently rented office space in that city. He left Russia last week. According to The Times, he is carefully hiding his location. The British shareholders in TNK-BP say that Russian authorities are pressuring the company and interfering with Dudley’s work.
After news of a disagreement between the Russian and British shareholders in the company became known at the beginning of May, a number of Russian agencies began audits of TNK-BP. As a result, violations of labor law were revealed, in connection with which the foreign staff of the company was forced to leave the country due to complications with their working visas. Dudley’s visa expires July 29. In spite of the fact that his work permit is good until next year, if he does not sign a new contract with the company, he will not receive a new visa. The Russian shareholders in TNK-BP are insisting that Dudley be replaced. That demand has been resisted by BP, however.
www.kommersant.com
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