Yukos Chairman Sees Internal Conflict in Company

Yukos Chairman Sees Internal Conflict in Company

The chairman of Yukos oil giant, Viktor Gerashchenko, said on Friday he believed the firm was suffering from serious internal conflict pitting different groups of owners and managers against each other, Reuters reported.

In his statement, Gerashchenko said that non-interference by Yukos owners was the key to normal dialogue with the authorities on a huge back tax bill which threatens to bankrupt the company. In such a case, “a constructive dialogue with the authorities will not only liven up but will also demonstrate a really well-disposed mood of the state in respect of our company,” Interfax news agency quoted Gerashchenko as saying.

He added that he saw no legal reason for his dismissal. On Wednesday, the lawyer of Yukos former chief, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, told that his client had recommended the company’s shareholders to fire Gerashchenko.