Petronas disputes Chad expulsion order

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – Malaysian state oil company Petronas on Wednesday disputed the Chad government’s claim it failed to pay millions of dollars in back taxes, but said it was attempting to resolve the issue with the African nation.

Petronas and Chevron Corp. were ordered out of the country by Chadian President Idriss Deby last week after he claimed the oil giants failed to settle a $450 million tax bill.

“Petronas would like to clarify that it has fully complied with its contractual obligation including all tax payments under the agreements that has been signed with the government of Chad in the year 2000,” the company said in a statement.

“Petronas is proactively working toward finding an amicable solution on this matter,” Petronas said. “It is regrettable that the government of Chad acted in this manner while discussions were ongoing.”

AP