By RIA Novosti
Moscow : A total of 148 employees of Britain’s BP working in Russia for TNK-BP have been recalled from Russia due to problems with registration, the Russian-British venture has said.
“We confirm that 148 employees of BP have been recalled from TNK-BP. The reason for their recall is that the status of their stay in Russia has not been fully regulated in line with Russian migration laws,” a TNK-BP spokesperson said.
The statement follows reports by some Russian and foreign media Tuesday that about 150 TNK-BP employees were facing problems in extending their work visas.
The Federal Migration Service has not commented on the reports. Sources close to the situation earlier said some of the company’s staff had travelled to Russia on business visas, while they should have obtained work visas.
The police seized documents last week from the central office of TNK-BP, one of the largest crude producers in Russia. The Moscow office of British oil major BP was also raided by police.
Security officials said copies of official documents, papers on oil and gas production believed to contain commercial secrets, as well as ID cards belonging to foreign military organisations and to the CIA were found during the searches.
The British Council, whose regional offices in Russia were closed down earlier this year over alleged tax violations, voiced its concern over the arrests.