U.S. Secretary of State Nominee was a managing director of a U.S.-Russian offshore company
The main nominee for the position of U.S. Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, was a Managing Director of a subsidiary of ExxonMobil that was registered in the Bahamas and was created to conduct business with Russia, Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported. Even Republican Senators have criticized his close ties with Russia and Vladimir Putin.
“The fact that Tillerson used the Bahamas as a tax haven to conduct his business in Russia would only enhance criticism,” the edition noted. According to Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Tillerson has been the CEO of Exxon Neftegas Limited—a subsidiary of the international oil company—since 1998.
“His name appeared in the company’s registration document that is a part of the so-called Bahamas archive, which has been made available to Sueddeutsche Zeitung,” the report says. It is also known that Rosneft had a share in the company. Rosneft is a Russian, state-owned company that is controlled by influential Igor Sechin, who is close to Vladimir Putin.
Exxon Neftegas Limited, led by Tillerson, participated in the Sakhalin-I oil and gas project on the eastern coast of Russia at least until May 2001.
In response to questions about the need to register Exxon Neftegas Limited in the Bahamas, the company noted that some companies are registered for creation of companies in the Bahamas because of simplicity and predictability of the laws of the country but not reduction of taxes in the home country where the company works.
The German edition reiterated that Rosneft was put on the list of Russian companies that are subject to economic sanctions due to Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The nomination of Rex Tillerson, who has close ties with Sechin, caused a wave of discontent among Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. Congress. The Sueddeutsche Zeitung noted that Tillerson and Sechin could be close friends, not simply business partners.