Sonatrach Trial: Chakib Khalil admitted responsibility for all transactions
Chakib Khalil, Algeria's former energy minister. Photo: copyright
Interrogation session of the fourth defendant in the case of Sonatrach, Vice President and General Manager, in charge of the upstream’s activities upstream, Belkaceme Boumediene, revealed on the week end, on exciting episodes in the case of the transactions that were granted to the German-Algerian group “Kontal Vonkwark” by mutual consent and with a amplified price.
“Former minister Chakib Khalil is responsible for the company’s deals as the President of the General Assembly. I wonder about those who said that the minister does not manage.”
Everyone in the court was astonished when he added; ” After the explosion of the case and the investigation with me in 2009, DRS security services asked me to deliver a message to the former Minister of Energy and Mines regarding the deals, and Chakib told me then: “I take my full responsibility for Sonatrach deals”.
Judge Reguad started interrogating the accused Belkaceme Boumediene on Thursday morning, as he is the third frame in Sonatrach being questioned so far and the fourth defendant in the case and in the first group, and accused him saying: You are charged with the felony of participating in the organization of evil group and the conclusion illegal deals, and trying to dispel public funds”, the judge stops at the charge and said; “There is no attempt in the law, but dispelling -Attorney General responded- and law punishes this act”, after confirmation of the text in the Code of Criminal Procedure, the judge continued charging Boumediene that he is followed up on the abuse of position, bribery and money laundering. Asked him about his response.
Sir, I started working in Sonatrach since October 1978 after graduation from the Algerian Petroleum Institute, then I was appointed head of the oil region as an engineering department head until 1993 in Ain Amenas, then a I was appointed as regional director of Berkawi Basin in Ouargla (Southern Algeria).
Could you tell us about the deals?
I’m astonished because I spent six years in jail waiting for the trial to speak. I was appointed in 1994 as regional director for the production of oil and gas, and in 1999 Sonatrach appointed me in its Algiers headquarters, in Hidra as a director of operations, then director of the production department. In 2005, I was on a mission in the south, and Mohamed Meziane called me to tell me about the decision of the Minister of Energy to appoint me on January,15, 2005 as Vice President and General Manager, and they issued a presidential decision about it in March of the same year. I remained in the same post until I was summoned by the judicial police, then I was jailed, and I completed the journey in the service of the homeland in Serkadji College, El Harrach, and Kolea where I trained the baccalaureate and BEM graduated whose number is 300 prisoners.
What are the facts that led the ICC to follow you?
The case was launched at the ministerial instruction in March 2004, regarding the completion of visual control and electronic protection of the company’s projects, and when they asked me to do that I was director of the production department, which is the backbone of Sonatrach, and the main concern was the production, as well as ensuring industrial security of the facilities and for the company’s human resources. In December 6, 2004 , I received the first consignment from the Deputy Director General at the time, he told me about the thanks message that was sent from the company “Kontal and its partners”, which asked them to inform the President Director General to carry out an offer for our engineers in Hassi Messaoud, and I sent it to the Internal Security Director Arar, and the second consignment came from Mohamed Meziane asked us to prepare for receiving the company, to present its offers and transferred it directly to Arar. On, January, 25, 2005, we received a consignment of urgency from the Energy and Mines Minister at the time Chakib Khelil, to note all the instructions since 2004 because of the security situation, and each manager received them electronically and those who said that they did not receive emails lied. To be honest, I brought the minister’s instruction, and we were in dire need at the time to “Kontal” offers with regard to protection, those were large pressure that the Algerian people need to know.”
Did the minister told you about the name of the company that you negotiate with?
No, the minister did not say the company’s name, but the first thanks message that I received from the President Director General of Sonatrach was carrying the German company’s name.
Tell us about the contracts that it conducted by mutual consent?
I must explain something important, I was asked by Hassani Moustafa, to give him installations’ maps, and then I received a report from the Committee which was entrusted by the Internal Security Director to control the project and I was deputy of Meziane in June, and he said that the results of the offer, which were done by “Kontal Vonkwark” were very good, and after that there was another report in September asking to do a pilot project for Hassi Messaoud’s industrial compound, and I granted the preliminary approval after sending a full report to the President Director-General, who, in turn gave me his agreement in principle, but said, “I must inform the minister”, then I asked to prepare a message to send it to Chakib Khelil. I worked under the command of Meziane and all the decisions that were taken at the level of the Executive Council were after notifying the Minister of Energy and Mines at the time, because he is the first and last responsible. The minister is also a manager, people should know that the minister is responsible and Meziane cannot make a decision without the consent of Chakib Khalil.