Sonatrach scandal: Abdelmadjid Attar under judicial control

Examining judge of the ninth chamber of Algiers Sidi M’hamed court, ordered on Monday, the placement of the former Sonatrach General Manager,Abdelmadjid Attar, under judicial control pending questioning him on the case of Sonatrach 2, Echorouk’s sources say.

The same judge listened to two other Sonatrach officials who are accused of being implicated in the deals that are being investigated by services of judicial control, and which were revealed by the Italian justice recently.

Echorouk’s sources added that the hearing of the suspects in the file of Sonatrach 2, started on Sunday, as the judge ordered the temporary detention for two suspects, whose identities and jobs have not yet been confirmed, while the hearing of the rest of the suspects is continuing so far, including the former CEO of the national oil group in Sonatrach, Noureddine Cherouati.

The real number of the suspects is not yet determined, especially as a lot of them were heard as witnesses before they became accused, like the former Sonatrach GM Abdelmadjid Attar, in the period 1997-2000, and who was accused officially by the investigating judge on some suspicious deals, and this after investigators, belonging to the intelligence and security services, have raided his house a few days ago in Algiers, through a formal decision of research issued by Sidi M’hamed court, as some files related to the investigation, some computers, including his personal laptop and a blackberry, have been seized.

Abdelmadjid Attar was a former Water Resources Minister in 2001-2003, and decided to leave politics and establish his studies and consulting office in 2006, that is specialised in hydrocarbons and water resources.

Echorouk’s sources explained that investigation with Abdelmadjid Attar focused on the deals and some files related to his dealing with Sonatrach group through his office, as the judge listened to him according to law of anti-corruption and bribery.

The same sources added that investigations did not find until now, his involvement in corruption in the file of Sonatrach 1, pending the results of the undergoing inquiry in the second file Sonatrach 2, which is an extension of the first file, that was launched in Italy, and exposed many important names in Algeria like the former Energy and Mines Minister Chakib Khelil, Farid Bedjaoui and others, who were not summoned by the Algerian justice in the second file, neither as suspects nor as witnesses so far.