LUKoil President on 2002 dividends

The amount of dividends of the LUKoil Oil Company for 2002 will not be lower than the 2001 dividends, LUKoil's President Vaghit Alekperov reported to journalists in St. Petersburg. According to him, the amount of 2002 dividends will be determined by the company's Board of Directors, which is scheduled to meet on April 16, 2003. LUKoil's President mentioned that in 2001, of RUR2.6bn (about $83.24m) in net profits RUR430m (about $13.77m) were allocated for paying dividends.