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Malaysia's Petronas denies Chad charges over non-payment of taxes
AFP
KUALA LUMPUR
Petroleumworld.com 08 31 06
Malaysian state oil firm Petronas on Wednesday denied the Chad government's allegations it had failed to pay taxes and said it was "regrettable" it had been expelled from the country.
Chad's President Idriss Deby Itno on Saturday ordered Petronas and US energy giant ChevronTexaco, which are part of a consortium along with US firm ExxonMobil, to leave the country for what he said was non-payment of taxes.
"Petronas would like to clarify that it has fully complied with its contractual obligations including all tax payments under the agreements that have been signed with the government of Chad in the year 2000," it said in a statement.
"The issue raised by the government of Chad relates to the validity of one of the agreements signed between the parties which had been previously accepted."
Petronas said it was attempting to find an amicable solution to the dispute.
"It is regretable that the government of Chad acted in this manner while discussions were still ongoing," it said.
It confirmed it had been notified by the government to suspend its activities there, and that it currently had no personnel in Chad.
Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has ordered a probe into the case but said the government would not intervene because it was Petronas' responsibility to resolve the matter.
In a bid to increase Chad's own share of its oil revenue, Deby last week told his government to renegotiate the contract it signed in 1988 with the US-Malaysian consortium.
AFP 30 0925 GMT 08 06
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