Sonatrach’s bribes transferred to produce tree oil in Côte d’Ivoire

A new episode started in the international corruption series between Italy’s Saipem and Algeria’s energy group Sonatrach. More than 5.5 million euros were laundered in an investment to produce tree oil in Côte d’Ivoire, a news report said.

An Italian weekly newspaper reported that investigations showed that the former director of Saipem-Algeria Tullio Orsi laundered a part of bribes money in a project in Côte d’Ivoire.

According to the same source, Orsi admitted that he received 5 million and 260,000 euros from Farid Bedjaoui.

The newspaper said the scandal was discovered in 2014 as Orsi was the main shareholder in the tree oil plant project in Côte d’Ivoire. Evidences and documents were found at two companies working on this project.

The newspaper said Orsi was questioned in October 2013. He told investigators he had received 5 million Euros from Farid Bedjaoui as “compensation.”

“I received 5 million euros from Farid Bedjaoui. I spent them in projects in Côte d’Ivoire to produce tree oil,” he told investigators.

He added that he used an enterprise in Switzerland to transfer the money to fund his projects in Côte d’Ivoire.

This scandal is added to a deal between Farid Bedjaoui and Petro Faroni, a former director at Saipem. The money was laundered in a project to produce wine in southern Italy.