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Russia LUKoil lodges claim with Romanian court over seizure of raw materials and products

According to earlier reports, LUKoil suspended the work of its refinery in Ploiesti over the seizure of raw materials and products

MOSCOW, October 6. /TASS/. Russia’s oil major LUKoil has lodged a claim with a Romanian court over the seizure of raw materials and products of its refinery in Ploiesti, the company told TASS on Monday.

According to earlier reports, LUKoil suspended the work of its refinery in Ploiesti over the seizure of raw materials and products.

Earlier, a LUKoil representative confirmed to TASS that the Romanian authorities have ordered to suspend the operation of the company’s oil in the town of Ploiesti. Russia’s Ambassador to Romania Oleg Malginov said the refinery had been closed in a tax evasion probe.

Media reports earlier said the Romanian police searched the premises of LUKoil’s refinery in the town of Ploiesti on October 2 “as part of an investigation into tax evasion and money laundering that caused an estimated damage of 200 million euros,” Romania’s National Anti-Corruption Department said.

Prosecutors from the Anti-Corruption Department accompanied by an armed special operation force seized LUKoil’s accounting documents and set up posts on the refinery’s territory, media reports said.

Russia’s Ambassador Extraordinary to Romania said the suspension of the Petrotel-LUKoil refinery as part of investigative measures was endangering the operation of LUKoil’s entire production chain in Romania.

LUKoil Europe Holdings, which is part of LUKoil, holds a 97.1% stake in the Ploiesti refinery. LUKoil also owns 300 filling stations in Romania.

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Economy Oil & Gas Lukoil Romania

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