MOSCOW, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- More Russian oil companies can expect Yukos-style investigations and tax cases, a top aide to President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.
"We must probe everyone, everyone. And if I was responsible for tax discipline -- against the background of Yukos -- I would probe all the other oil companies, too," Igor Shuvalov, head of the presidential Expert Department, said outside an investors' conference, The Moscow Times reported Friday.
"This is only the start of the road in relation to other taxpayers. Many oil companies used schemes that they call 'tax optimization.' Where it was illegal they will have to pay in full," he told investors.
The Yukos scandal has tarnished Russia's investment image, helped send oil prices soaring and shaken confidence, as officials put out chaotic signals about the future of the country's biggest oil exporter.
Multinational oil companies are still investing in Russia, despite the Yukos affair, Shuvalov said. Still, a widening of probes against other oil majors has been a nightmare scenario for investors since the government launched its multibillion-dollar tax case against Yukos last year.
