Russia Finance Minister Says No U.S. Subpoena

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -- Russia's Finance Ministry has dismissed a media report alleging that Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin received a U.S. court subpoena during his visit to Washington.

Moscow-based Ekho Moskvy radio station said in a report on its website that a U.S. court official handed Kudrin a subpoena over a lawsuit filed by a group of shareholders of bankrupt oil firm Yukos.

The radio station said the marshal waited for Kudrin outside a Washington think tank where Kudrin was due to give a speech.

"The Russian delegation is not aware of any facts of handover of any documents with lawsuits against the Russian Federation or Finance Minister Aleksei Kudrin during his stay in Washington," said Kudrin spokesman Pavel Kuznetsov.

Yukos minority shareholders are seeking compensation from Russia for actions they allege resulted in the firm's bankruptcy and losses for its shareholders.

Yukos, once Russia's biggest oil company, was divided up and sold by Russia after massive back-tax claims. Former Yukos CEO Mikhail Khodorkovsky was jailed for tax evasion and fraud.