Algeria issues arrest warrant against ex-energy minister

August 13, 2013 | Legal, Politics & Social Unrest

Algeria on Monday issued an arrest warrant against its former energy minister over corruption charges related to state-owned energy giant Sonatrach, local media reported.

On Monday, Attorney General Belkacem Zeghmati said international arrest warrants have been issued against Chakib Khelil, his wife and two sons, as well as Farid Bedjaoui, nephew of the country’s ex-Foreign Minister Mohamed Bedjaoui.

Reports suggested that Khelil, who held the energy portfolio from 1999 to 2010 and chaired OPEC between 2001 and 2008, is currently outside Algeria, most likely in the United States.

Zeghmati said the Algerian authorities have issued international arrest warrants against nine of the 22 suspects involved in the corruption scandal of Sonatrach, which works in partnership with several foreign companies in the North African country such as Total and GDF (France) and ENI (Italy).

“Only three countries, namely France, Italy and Switzerland have shown willingness to cooperate with the Algerian judiciary in the case,” he said.

The Algerian judicial authorities have launched a probe into the corruption allegations involving Sonatrach and Italy’s Eni SpA, when Italian and Canadian media reported that Saipem, a subsidiary of Eni SpA, and SNC Lavalin (Canada) had paid hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars as bribes to Farid Bedjaoui to facilitate the snatch of a one-billion-dollar contract with the national energy corporation.

In early July, Algerian Minister of Justice Mohamed Charfi said probe of the Sonatrach case revealed the existence of an international corruption network, and “about 90 percent of the people involved in this corruption case have been identified.”

 

1 thought on “Algeria issues arrest warrant against ex-energy minister

  1. East Coast

    Algeria is setting a good example of how to fight corruption in Africa. The so-called crusaders of transparency in the western world should co-operate fully with the Algerian authorities to bring this rogue to justice. What a shame! messing up his country and running over to the US. How many US or European leaders have looted their treasuries and come to Algeria or Africa to stay with the money? Africans wake up and set yourselves free.

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