Yukos accounts freed up to pay debt

MOSCOW, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- The Russian tax service has allowed the Yukos Oil company to transfer money from its bank accounts to pay off its debts, Navosti reported Thursday.

A letter from the federal tax service to one of the banks handling Yukos commercial accounts says an order last month suspending corporate account operations does not include debt payments.

That means the court can use money in the account to pay off Yukos 2000 tax debts, probably within a few days. A source said other banks holding Yukos accounts have been sent similar letters, but spokesmen for those institutions had no comment.

The oil giant has resumed its budget payments and has already paid $3.2 billion of its $3.4 billion debt for 2000, with about $350 million in its corporate accounts.

Igor Shuvalov, an aide to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, said Yukos deliberately avoided paying taxes.

"If Yukos had not conducted such a dubious dialogue with authorities, it would have avoided the sanctions," Shuvalov said at a news conference in Moscow. "What other reaction can the company expect if it is (in trouble) with taxation authorities on tax evasion?"