Syrian companies involved in Sonatrach corruption scandal

Italy’s financial police (Guardia di Finanza) search for two officials at two Syrian companies who receive bribes from Saipem, an Italian company involved in a corruption scandal with Algerian officials to gain 8-billion-euro contracts.

According to an Italian weekly newspaper, an investigation led by Milan’s Public Prosecuter showed that two Syrian companies gave bribes to Algerian employees and politicians including former energy minister Chakib Khelil.

The same companies received 1.5 billion euros in return for their suspicious transactions with Italy’s Saipem.

The same source said the Italian financial police want to know the identity of the companies’ owners and shed light on a series of meetings held in a luxury hotel in Milan. They were attended by Italian managers and Syrian mediators while prices were overstated in favor of Saipem’s Eni.

Earlier in mid-August, the Algerian justice issued an international arrest warrant for Khelil, his wife and his two sons on  corruption-related charges.

The Algiers Public Prosecuter Belkacem Zaghmati told a news conference an examining judge issued 9 international arrest warrants for Khelil, his wife, his two sons and Farid Bedjaoui, the nephew of Algeria’s former foreign minister. Their properties were confiscated.

Zaghmati said the warrant touched four other names but he did not reveal them.