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Rosneft says could sue Reuters over ‘hit piece’ on CEO’s corporate jet use

According to the Reuters publication, the press agency tracked 290 Rosneft flights over a three-year period

MOSCOW, June 14. /TASS /. Russia’s state-run oil company Rosneft may sue Reuters after the London-based global news agency published an article claiming that the company’s CEO Igor Sechin and his relatives used corporate jets for personal trips. This is according to a statement the company published on its website on Friday.

"The company is looking into legally defending its rights that have been violated," the statement says.

According to the Reuters publication, the press agency tracked 290 Rosneft flights over a three-year period from January 2015 to May 2019 and found out that only 42 of the 290 destinations were mentioned in publicly available reports by Rosneft or by Russian authorities.

"For reference: the list of 290 flights cited by Reuters itself demonstrates the extremely intensive schedule of Rosneft’s Chief Executive Officer Igor Sechin. However, from the publicly available reports, Reuters noted the official need for flights only in 42 cases, yet the company operates worldwide and appoints commercial negotiations with partners by mutual agreement without the consent of Reuters," the company said in a statement.

The Russian oil company also noted that the labor agreement of its chief executive, Igor Sechin, stipulates transportation support for him and his family members on official trips and vacations.

"Moreover, the protocol of a number of events with the company’s partners provides for the participation of family members. The unprecedented selectivity, and surveillance organized by Reuters, along with the subsequent publication of materials aimed at discrediting one of the members of Russia’s business community, cause bewilderment and reasonable suspicions that it was a deliberate hit piece," the company noted.