The Kazakh authorities have arrested the property, including the Sunkar floating platform, of Parker Drilling

The Kazakh authorities have arrested the property, including the Sunkar floating platform, of Parker Drilling, a contractor for the international consortium, Agip KCO, which is carrying out drilling in the northern part of the Caspian Sea. A ruling into effect was made by the Tupkaragan district court of Kazakhstan's (western) Mangistau Region. The property will be under arrest until Parker Drilling pays 812m tenge (the current exchange 136.06 tenge to the dollar) [some 6m dollars] to the country for violating tax legislation, the head of the Mangistau regional customs control department's office for fighting crimes and offences in the sphere of taxation, Saken Amangeldiyev, told journalists on Wednesday. He said that the platform Sunkar was currently in the port of Bautino (in Mangistau Region), and drilling work was stopped about a month ago. Amangeldiyev recalled that in July 1999 Parker Drilling brought to Kazakhstan the Sunkar floating platform for carrying out oil exploration in the shelf of the Caspian Sea on the basis of a contract with Agip KCO. In accordance with the contract, the company was lifted of customs duties and taxes. However, the contract expired in November 2003 and the privilege was revoked, but the drilling platform remained on the territory of Kazakhstan and was further used by the consortium. Correspondingly, Parker Drilling had to pay customs duties and taxes monthly to the country's budget. But it never did so, Amangeldiyev said.