Oil chief probed over alleged corruption

PARIS – French oil group Total said yesterday that its chief executive faced judicial questioning over a gas contract signed in Iran in 1997.

A Total spokesman told AFP that managing director Christophe de Margerie and several other senior executives had been called in for questioning by finance police, and stressed that the group had acted legally. They would be questioned “in connection with a judicial enquiry” opened in December 2006 concerning “a South Pars industrial project in Iran, signed by Total in 1997 with the Iranian national oil company NIOC,” the spokesman said.Total was “completely behind its executives and confirms that the agreements signed respected the law”, the spokesman added, saying the company was confident that investigating magistrates would “find there was no breach of the law”.Earlier, a source close to the matter said that Margerie faced questioning over suspected illegal payments to win the contract.It was alleged that funds identified in Switzerland might have been paid illegally by executives of Total from 1996 to 2003 to win the contract.Margerie would also be questioned over suspected corruption in Cameroon, the source said.Earlier, a regional newspaper Est Republicain had reported that Margerie would be questioned about the contract in Iran and in connection with an enquiry begun on January 8 into suspected “corruption of foreign agents” relating to the production and marketing of oil from Cameroon.The two enquiries resulted from information provided in November 2006 by a unit at the economy and finance ministry charged with fighting money laundering, called Tracfin.Nampa-AFPThey would be questioned “in connection with a judicial enquiry” opened in December 2006 concerning “a South Pars industrial project in Iran, signed by Total in 1997 with the Iranian national oil company NIOC,” the spokesman said.Total was “completely behind its executives and confirms that the agreements signed respected the law”, the spokesman added, saying the company was confident that investigating magistrates would “find there was no breach of the law”.Earlier, a source close to the matter said that Margerie faced questioning over suspected illegal payments to win the contract.It was alleged that funds identified in Switzerland might have been paid illegally by executives of Total from 1996 to 2003 to win the contract.Margerie would also be questioned over suspected corruption in Cameroon, the source said.Earlier, a regional newspaper Est Republicain had reported that Margerie would be questioned about the contract in Iran and in connection with an enquiry begun on January 8 into suspected “corruption of foreign agents” relating to the production and marketing of oil from Cameroon.The two enquiries resulted from information provided in November 2006 by a unit at the economy and finance ministry charged with fighting money laundering, called Tracfin.Nampa-AFP