MOSCOW, July 9 (UPI) -- Russian court officials have frozen key operating financial accounts of the giant Yukos oil corporation, the Moscow Times reported Friday.
"Court marshals have frozen accounts tied to one of Yukos' three main production units," the paper said, citing a report from the Interfax news agency. The move "could threaten production at the embattled oil major facing potential bankruptcy over a $3.4 billion back tax bill," the paper said.
The paper cited reports that the officials had frozen transit operating accounts at St. Petersburg branch of the Menatep bank operated by Tomskneft, one of Yukos' three major production units which operates in the Tomsk area of Siberia. Tomskneft produces 20 percent, or one fifth of Yukos annual oil output. A Yukos spokesman said he could not confirm or deny the report.
Yukos is the biggest oil producer in Russia but its founder and chief shareholder Mikhail Khodorkovsky is in jail in Moscow awaiting trial later this month on charges of fraud and tax evasion.
Itar-Tass earlier reproted Russian bailiffs confiscated servers at the Yukos shareholder registry.
"The servers are being confiscated in order to establish assets and other financial resources for paying YUKOS debts," said Andrei Belyakov, head of the Justice Ministry's Bailiffs Department.
"If they don't want to fulfill the court ruling voluntarily, we will take tough and uncompromising measures to achieve it within our powers prescribed by the law," he told Itar-Tass.
