Interpol chases Farid Bedjaoui for corruption

The Interpol included Farid Bejaoui, the main suspect in the Sonatrach scandal 2 and the son of Algeria’s former foreign minister in the wanted list accused of corruption.

Bedjaoui, 45, has French, Algerian and Canadian nationalities.

The arrest request came upon a warrant issued from a court in Italy on July 28 as he was involved in corruption-related cases in contracts between Saipem company and Sonatrach.

The French-speaking man was a mediator between the two companies. He helped Saipem to gain contracts in Algeria in return for bribes. Italian justice asked authorities in Singapore and Hong Kong to freeze his assets estimated at $123 million.

According to a Canadian newspaper, Bedjaoui spends most of his time in Dubai in a villa next to his company he founded in 2000. He started working with Sonatrach in 2003.