MOSCOW, October 6 (RIA Novosti) - Russia’s second largest crude producer Lukoil on Monday filed a complaint with a court over Romania’s decision to stop its oil refinery, a source in the company told RIA Novosti.
“The arrest of the Petrotel Refinery’s raw materials and products by Romanian prosecutors has brought its production and commercial activities to a temporary halt. The date of the production restart will be announced after the Romanian court rules on the appeal,” the company announced.
Romanian prosecutors and local police on Thursday raided Lukoil’s Petrotel unit on suspicion of tax evasion and money laundering.
Lukoil has owned Petrotel in Romania since 1998. The Russian oil giant said in a statement Monday that Romanian authorities ran regular checks on its facilities in the country, and the most recent inspection finished last year.
Lukoil is a global leader in the production of crude oil and gas, and refining them into petroleum products. Petrotel Lukoil and Lukoil Romania were in the list of top ten companies in Romania by turnover last year, with Petrotel Lukoil having sales of 1.25 billion euro and Lukoil Romania having sales of 1.13 billion euro.
