On Friday an inter-ministry privatization committee discussed an issue of some of the liabilities of some of the companies in the Unipetrol group (Euro weekly). The most urgent is the situation in Benzina, a fuel retailer. Its liabilities could be transferred from the banks to CKA, a state bailout agency, and possibly offered with the state’s 63% stake in Unipetrol to an investor. Alternatively, the banks might decide to auction some of the assets of Benzina to cash-in the debt, which could significantly hurt Benzina`s operations and complicate the privatization of Unipetrol. The stock, sensitive to any privatization news, might react. The investors will be invited for an indicative expression of interest on November 6.
Jiří Soustružník