MOSCOW, Aug 27 (AFP) - A Moscow court trimmed on Friday the 2000 tax bill Yukos has been ordered to pay, but rejected most of the beleagured oil giant's arguments against a tax ministry order, the Interfax news agency reported.
The arbitration court lowered by about 1.1 million dollars the roughly 3.4 billion dollars in 2000 back taxes, interest and fines owed by Yukos.
Yukos said it would appeal the court decision.
Yukos had contested the 2000 tax bill issued on April 14 by the tax ministry.
In its decision, the ministry said Yukos illegally had minimized its taxes by selling oil through 17 subsidiaries registered offshore and claiming they were independent companies.
Yukos denies wrongdoing. It argues that the tax ministry has not demonstrated that the companies were affiliated with the group and contests the ministry's calculations.
The arbitration court partially recognized Yukos's arguments Friday, marginally reducing the size of the company's tax bill.
The court vice president also refused a request by Yukos to recuse the judge in charge of the tax dossier submitted by the company.
Yukos has been charged with tax evasion and massive fraud over several years following its consolidation in the 1990s.
In addition to the 2000 bill for back taxes and penalties, the company could face a tax bill of around 10 billion dollars if similar demands are made for subsequent years.
Russian authorities charge that the company, once held up as the most transparent in the country, was built illicitly and dodged taxes by hiding money in a sophisticated network of shell companies, offshore accounts and legal loopholes.
Jailed Yukos founder Mikhail Khodorkovsky is himself on trial for tax evasion and fraud.
Many outside Russia regard his legal troubles as a Kremlin vendetta in response to Khodorkovsky's funding of political movements opposed to President Vladimir Putin.
Khodorkovsky has pleaded innocent to all charges.