Russian Oil Giant’s Offices Searched

Scores of plainclothes police searched for several hours Saturday through the headquarters of the Russian oil giant Yukos, which is facing a $3.4-billion back taxes claim.

The Interfax news agency reported that the officers removed several boxes of documents. But company spokesman Hugo Erikssen said it was not clear what was taken.

No Yukos officials were in the building during the raid.

“Why they had to come on a weekend ... that’s a question we’d like to know,” Erikssen said.

The move came a day after a Moscow court refused to unfreeze its assets, making it impossible for the $33-billion firm to sell property to pay the back taxes and avoid insolvency.

Prosecutors said that Saturday’s actions were connected to a criminal fraud and tax evasion case “against structures controlled by Yukos,” Russian news agencies reported. The reports said the matter was separate from the fraud and tax evasion cases pending against Yukos’ former chief executive Mikhail Khodorkovsky and a close associate, Platon Lebedev.

The prosecutor-general’s office refused to elaborate, but the statement appeared to refer to allegations of tax-dodging by Samaraneftegaz, Yukos’ third-largest operating unit.

Yukos also probably faces claims beyond the $3.4 billion that a court upheld last week. News reports said the tax ministry is seeking an additional $3 billion in back taxes.