Argentina to slap lien on Shell refinery - source

[Judi Lynn]

Argentina to slap lien on Shell refinery - source
Fri Jan 18, 2008 8:49am EST

BUENOS AIRES, Jan 18 (Reuters) - Argentina will slap a lien on a Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L: Quote, Profile, Research) refinery after the firm failed to pay $20.7 million in fines for violating the country's fuel supply laws, a government source said Friday.

The measure against Shell's only refinery in South America, which refines nearly 100,000 barrels per day and is a key provider of diesel fuel in Argentina, will be "taken in the coming days," the source said on condition of anonymity.

Shell officials were not immediately available for comment.

The move opens a new chapter in a long-running dispute between Shell and the government, which has repeatedly clashed with the oil major over its attempts to regulate energy prices and supplies. It also comes days after Shell resisted the latest government effort to lower prices.

More:
http://www.reuters.com/article/companyNewsAndPR/idUSN1829594020080118