Russia's Resources Ministry will check whether embattled oil giant Yukos stuck to technologies when working on its deposits, Resources Minister Yuri Trutnev said on Saturday.
"There is, let's say, a preliminary feeling that Yuganskneftegaz did not stick to technologies in a serious way on some deposits," Trutnev told NTV television channel. "We must check this."
Trutnev was referring to Yukos' key Siberian producing unit Yuganskneftegaz. The government plans to sell part of Yugansk to recover Yukos' tax debts of more than $8 billion.
Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstain, hired to appraise the firm, put its value at between an overly conservative case of $10.4 billion and $14.7-17.3 billion, a calculation based on its professional opinion of Yugansk's equity value.
Analysts say that Yugansk is worth around $16 billion as it produces one million barrels per day of crude and has huge oil reserves. But they also note the value could shrink to as little as $2 billion if the unit loses its licences.
On Friday, Interfax news agency and Vedomosti daily reported that the government which the government might to sell a controlling stake in Yugansk for as little as $4 billion.
The Resources Ministry will in three months consider whether to revoke Yukos' Siberian licences.
Yukos' bank accounts are frozen and the firm has repeatedly said it is not able to fund its basic operations and pay current taxes - which prompted the ministry to discuss licences' revocation.
The tax troubles of Russia's top oil firm are seen by many analysts as orchestrated by the Kremlin to punish its main owner Mikhail Khodorkovsky for political activities. He is now on trial on charges of fraud and tax evasion.
But Trutnev said that not only Yukos had technology problems.
"I would like to say that this is not an illness which only affects Yugansk," he said.
"I am afraid that on some deposits Yugansk has a stronger and more evident form of it. There are other companies which we will check on the same issue later."
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