Saipem-Sonatrach Scandal: US Justice Department Stops Investigation

US Justice Department closed the investigation it had launched in 2013, although it asked for files, documents and details about the activities of the Italian company Saipem in Algeria and the seven contracts which it obtained in suspicious ways, known as the 200 million euros bribery scandal.

According to the report of Saipem’s financial revenue of 2016, which copy is available to Echorouk,the US Justice Department did not renew its request for documents that it requested in 2014 regarding the activities of Saipem in Algeria, explaining that the investigation and in view of the lack of renewal, it seems to have been abandoned.
Same report stated that the US Department of Justice request renewed, until November 29, 2015, and accordingly, the company filed a file to the US Justice Department, after the latter filed a request for additional documents that are related to Saipem’s activities in Algeria on April, 10, 2014, that contains detailed activities.
In another context, the report stated that the Algerian authorities continue to block the two bank accounts of the Italian company worth 83 million euros and a fine of 34.000 euros, although more than a year passed after the verdict in the case and the decision of the Algerian District Council to lift the freezing of these accounts.
From a legal perspective, the continued seizure of these two bank accounts by the Algerian authorities meant that the company had filed an appeal against the judgment against it.
Police services report admitted that its activities in Algeria shrunk and were almost marginal in contrast to the African, Pacific and Middle East regions, as the police activities were remarkably successful.
According to the report, the business is still going on so far in Algeria at only 59 million euros.