Detectives search oil firm Sibir Moscow offices

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian law enforcement agencies searched the offices of oil firm Sibir Energy on Wednesday, Interfax news agency reported, and an oil refinery part-owned by the company said it was also searched.

Gazprom Neft, the oil arm of Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom, became the main shareholder in Sibir last month after buying out minority shareholders and accumulating the stakes of some former top shareholders.

Searches at Sibir's office were currently under way, Interfax said, quoting the deputy press secretary for the Interior Ministry's department of economic crime, Albert Istomin.

Moscow Refinery said detectives from the Moscow police had conducted searches at the plant for documents related to certain commercial organisations' activities in 2006. It posted a statement on its website, www.mnpz.ru.

Sibir, part-owned by the Moscow city government, shares control of the refinery with Gazprom Neft.

Spokesmen for Sibir and Gazprom Neft declined to comment.

Sibir itself is suing its former main shareholder, Russian businessman Shalva Chigirinsky, for at least $325 million (202 million pounds) for a failed bid to sell his real estate assets to the company. Chigirinsky fled Russia this year.

Russian state-run bank VTB has also filed a lawsuit in London seeking $100 million from Chigirinsky's developer, Russian Land.

(Reporting by Katya Golubkova and Dmitry Zhdannikov)