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Sonatrach1 Corruption Case: “Fifteen Defendants and Four Foreign firms before Algiers Criminal Court”

Sonatrach1 Corruption Case: “Fifteen Defendants and Four Foreign firms before Algiers Criminal Court”
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After having been postponed on May 15 because of the absence of several ‘important’ witnesses, the trial of the Sonatrach 1 case is to be open, as expected, next Sunday at the Criminal Court in Algiers.

Fifteen defendants and four foreign firms will stand trial for ‘corruption’ charges and other serious offenses in this highly publicized bribery case with international ramifications.

The main accused is the former CEO of the Sonatrach Group , Mohamed Meziane, who said last April, in a press interview that he had been compelled to implement the decisions he received, from the then Energy and mines Minister, Chakib Khelil who is still at large overseas despite being the target of an international arrest warrant issued by Algerian justice last year.

Eight Executive Directors of the Sonatrach Group, including a Manager in charge of the pipeline transport department  and a Director of upstream activities will also be in the dock in this case. The trial will also see the hearing of 108 witnesses.

The accused, of which seven are now in detention, are to face such serious charges as “association of wrongdoers”, “contracting in violation of legislation and regulation”, “granting of unjustified advantages for the benefit of others” and “increase in prices during the procurement”. They are also being prosecuted for ‘corruption’, “squandering of public funds”, “abuse of office” and “money-laundering”.

According to the order for reference, the facts relate to five fraudulent markets worth 1.100 billion centimes (DA) granted by the ex – CEO of Sonatrach, Mohamed Meziane, to the German group Contel Algeria Funkwerk Pletarc, for a project related to acquisition of equipment monitoring and electronic protection for the energy complex units of the group in several parts of the national territory.

These lucrative contracts were awarded to the German firm under the OTC procedure in Exchange for hefty shares acquired for the benefit of the Sonatrach CEO himself and close relatives.

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