MOSCOW, July 21 (UPI) -- Minority shareholders in Anglo-Russian venture TNK-BP targeted their British rivals in a lawsuit related to Russian oil interests, something BP rejected.
A proposed $16 billion deal between Russian oil company Rosneft and BP for work in the northern arctic waters of Russia collapsed early this year because of objects from TNK-BP.
TNK-BP, a joint venture between Russian billionaires and BP, shot down the deal because they said it violated their shareholder agreement with the British company.
Minority shareholders in TNK-BP are suing over their British counterparts who served on the TNK-BP board, The Daily Telegraph newspaper in London reports. The minority shareholders said the two officials, Anthony Charow and Richard Sloan, have caused losses of "several billion dollars," the report adds.
TNK-BP and its British partners have a stormy past. Bob Dudley, chief executive of BP, left his Russian offices when serving as head of TNK-BP in 2008 for what he said was harassment by the Russians.
A spokesman for BP was quoted by the Telegraph as saying the latest claims from TNK-BP were "groundless."
