TNK-BP chief faces Russia inquiry
By Catherine Belton in Moscow
Published: June 10 2008 03:00 | Last updated: June 10 2008 03:00
Robert Dudley, the BP-backed chief executive of TNK-BP, the Russian oil venture, will go to Russia’s Interior Ministry today for questioning as part of a criminal investigation into corporate tax evasion, people close to the company said yesterday.
Mr Dudley is caught in the crossfire of a struggle between BP and its Russian partners for control of the 50-50 oil venture after the Russian billionaire shareholders demanded his dismissal over their claims he is running the venture in the interests of BP.
Mr Dudley received the summons to be questioned as a witness the day after BP rejected the demand; he later received a summons to attend questioning by a Moscow prosecutor’s office as part of a probe into alleged violations of labour laws.
People close to the company say they believe the summonses are part of a concerted effort to engineer Mr Dudley’s removal as TNK-BP’s chief executive so Russian shareholders can take control of the company. A senior government official said over the weekend that the stand-off could only be resolved if one side in the venture sold their stake to another.
The company has been raided as part of an investigation into industrial espionage and its foreign specialists barred from work following a court injunction. The government official said a sale of the company to Gazprom, the state-controlled energy conglomerate, would be the “worst outcome”, but a person close to TNK-BP said he believed the Kremlin was still divided on how to resolve the conflict.
Representatives of Mr Dudley were questioned for nearly two hours at a Moscow prosecutors’ office yesterday in response to the summons sent last week. Mr Dudley did not appear because the summons said he could send a representative, TNK-BP said yesterday.
Prosecutors received boxes of documents they requested as part of the probe and yesterday demanded more information, TNK-BP said. The probe came in response to a request by a Russian labour union, documents seen by the Financial Times show.
One person said the Russian investors would renew talks with Tony Hayward, BP’s chief executive, tomorrow.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2008
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/66e7f564-3688-11dd-8bb8-0000779fd2ac.html
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Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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