The spoiled fuel scandal is a result of the commercial practices of the Sonatrach executives in collusion with Lebanese merchants, both of which were condoned by the relevant authorities in both Algeria and Lebanon. SECURITYIn Tunis, Mawlawi reassures Saudi counterpart on Lebanons continuing fight against drug trafficking, DIPLOMACY Belgium PM tells Iranian leader to free aid worker, PRIVACY Moroccan activists join WhatsApp suit over Pegasus spyware, Support L'Orient Today with a digital subscription starting $1. Starting in the early 1990s, Cubas Ministry of Foreign Trade, through the Compaa Panamericana S.A, used Mossack Fonseca to create a string of disguised companies in Panama, the Bahamas and the British Virgin Islands that bought and sold medicines, cigars and food. During his time as energy minister, Hayes caused controversy by refusing to support any further expansion to onshore wind power, describing wind turbines as a terrible intrusion. 11:07 AM | 31 Jan, 2023 . I feel they are trying to bury this issue in the courts by stopping at mid-level employees, Yacoubian said. Those front companies, the source added, also help Cuba carry out foreign trade transactions in U.S. dollars, forbidden by the embargo until President Barack Obama lifted the restriction earlier this year. Records of a meeting in Dubai in March of 2011 reflect a decision to significantly reduce the capital of BB Naft, held by BB Energy Holdings NV., from $8 million to $1.050 million. This comes on top of his standard MP salary of 81,932. All individuals involved in this initiative - including co-founders, advisory board members, and experts - are serving in their personal capacity. Potential forms of corruption include bribery, theft, collusion and bid-rigging. The procedures may take a long time, particularly because the number of defendants is high. An accountant for the British company All Worlds Food Ltd, Jose Da Silva, answered: I do not know the reasons why the documents were certified by a Swiss notary. Boris Johnson initially backed Paterson. Listed as a director of one of the companies is a brother of Gen. Luis Alberto Rodrguez Lpez-Calleja husband of Cuban ruler Raul Castros daughter and powerful head of the Cuban armed forces business conglomerate, GAESA. However, Reuters was unable to independently verify if the agreement was implemented and remains in force. Tell Grant Shapps to stop giving away Emissions Trading Scheme permits, Former energy minister John Hayes, who has likened climate protesters to Radical Islam, has received a 50,000 salary from BB Energy since 2018. The documents found in the Panama Papers are dated as far back as the early 1990s, when the Cuban economy crashed following the end of Moscows massive subsidies to the island. Whatever youre interested in, theres a free openDemocracy newsletter for you. The Panama Papers also show that Labiofam S.A., the marketing branch of Grupo Empresarial Labiofam, a Cuban government company that produces vaccines, medicines and other products for the control of carriers of diseases, owns shares in BioAsia Ltd. That company was founded with an investment of 10 million euros from Vietnam, southern Asia and the United Kingdom and lists Mossack Fonseca as its registered agent. Plus, it is still not taking any of the precautions necessary today. In an effort to save him even this punishment, Johnson instructed Tory MP Andrea Leadsom to put forward an amendment and set up a committee to prevent his suspension. BB Energy boasted of making record profits in 2020 in its annual report, writing that it had successfully captured market volatility caused by the pandemic. The judiciarys opening of this file occured to the beat of a political debate that the judiciary does not seem to be far from, especially as opening such a file occurred according to a report presented by the leader in the the Aounist party, lawyer Wadih Akl, and investigations were conducted by Judge Ghada Aoun. Still, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which enforces sanctions, has given no indications it would take that route. A Reuters news agency report shows that the mother company, BB Energy, was still sending petroleum to Syria in 2011. The leaked documents also show that Guillermo Faustino Rodrguez Lpez-Calleja, brother of Gen. Luis Alberto Rodrguez Lpez-Calleja, was appointed in 1999 as a director of Pescatlan S.A., a company incorporated by Mossack Fonseca in the British Virgin Islands in 1991 with an initial capital of $50,000. Russia has publicly said the U.S. sanctions are illegal and it would work with Venezuela to weather them. His register of interests says he currently earns 50,000 in the role, for about 11 days work a year. Billions of dollars have been siphoned off annually into political largesse and party war chests. The documents reveal previously unknown details about the Cuban governments economic maneuvers abroad and the foreign companies that do business with Havana as some of the firms tried to hide Cubas hand in business deals to skirt the U.S. embargo. According to an undated internal PDVSA document, Indias Reliance Industries Ltd - PDVSAs largest cash-paying client was also asked by PDVSA to pay Rosneft directly in April for oil sales under a long-term supply contract with the Venezuelan company. Proceed to our online shop below to find out more about the features in each package. Campuses would have to give up testing resources and send them to Randox, they continued. Mansour had initially leveled the same accusations against the Lebanese company ZR Group Holding SAL and issued an arrest warrant for its owner, Teddy Rahmeh, which was withdrawn after bail was posted. A letter sent in 1998 by a Mossack Fonseca employee to the international trade office at state-run Petroecuador referred to documents sent by BB Naft required to register the company. A 2005 fax also points to an initial contact with the Venezuelan governments Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA). The relationship between the BB Energy Group and Petroecuador appears to have lasted until recent days. Little is known inside the island about the Cuban governments companies abroad, but Havana economist Omar Everleny wrote in the early 2000s that there were more than 100 entities with the participation of Cuban capital, founded as mixed [state-private] companies or as branches of companies based on the island operating abroad in areas such as construction, agriculture, food, medicine, mining, finance and science., Everleny, recently fired from the University of Havanas Center for the Study of the Cuban Economy, noted the paradox that a country that lacks the capital for its own development has invested in other countries. The motive, he speculated, is the U.S. embargo that forced the establishment of a network of companies around the world to warehouse and market products from the sea, among them lobsters and shrimp., Today the export of products from the fishing industry is carried out through those companies, he said, adding that Cuban officials also created an international network of companies to warehouse and sell the famous Cuban cigars.. RECOMMENDATIONS 2.1. Multimillionaire donors seem almost guaranteed a peerage, according to a report by the Open Democracy thinktank and the Times newspaper. Entity: B.B. 310. Many of the Mossack Fonseca emails and documents show the relationship between BB Naft and the BB Energy group through the years. Fuel Oil BB Energy (the Group) is pleased to announce the launch of its Improved Cookstove (ICS) Project in Rwanda. He also said Rahme was a friend but denied he was giving Rahme protection. The women pushing boundaries in Pakistans rural milk marketIn rural Pakistan women milk cows, but male relatives take the milk to male-run collection centres. The similar logo and name are explained through an agreement between the two firms that gave ZR Energy DMCC the right to use the brand and credit facility of ZR Group Holding SAL. ZR Group and Mr. Rahmeh were unlawfully indicted on a number of charges, of which all but one have been dropped. Add your voice to our engaged subscriber community and be part of the change. Aguilar also has served as a deputy in the legislative National Assembly. It has since been renewed four times. At BB Energy, we are constantly evolving in order to meet new challenges, while developing our personnel to ensure a competitive edge. BB Energy Trading Ltd. BB House 12-14 Ansdell Street London W8 5BN United Kingdom T: +44 20 7938 0500 F: +44 20 7938 0501 www.bbenergy.com Page 1 of 2 ANTI-SLAVERY STATEMENT . My journey to journalism: Elodie TotoElodie Toto of BBC Afrique tells the story of what inspired her to become a journalist, and takes us on a journey from the suburbs of Paris to Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Instructions for the change were sent by Iulia Ispas, legal adviser to BB Energy Trading Ltd. Emails exchanged by Mossack Fonseca lawyers also point to company operations in Syria and Iraq. As Johnson announced Covid safety restrictions in March 2020, the government handed Randox a 133 million contract to manufacture Covid tests. With challenges consistently facing the energy industry, we are constantly evolving, using advanced systems, procedures and processes to provide the best answers for our clients. The Web page of the Cuba-Lebanon Businessmens Council lists a Riad Bassatne as a member of its board of directors and describes him as president of BB Naft Trading and member of the board of directors of BB Energy., Wael Bassatne nevertheless insisted that there are no commercial or financial relations between BB Naft Trading S.A. and the BB Energy Group. He added that BB Nafts activities in Cuba included the sale of spare parts and agricultural machinery.. By subscribing, you contribute to our financial and editorial independence. 2. The London branch of the Algerian Sonatrach published a statement through the Algerian News Agency, saying that whoever was presented by the media as an employee of Sonatrach is not, in fact, an employee in the company, but an independent marine agent who monitors shipments in Lebanon for the benefit of the companys branch in London. The Algerian company tried to imply that the issue is limited to the technical specifications of the fuel. BB Energy registered a company in Texas, BB Energy USA LLC., in 2014. Reliance has said that in September 2012 it signed a 15-year deal to purchase up to 400,000 barrels a day of heavy crude from PDVSA. Corruption policy, and our KYC and recruitment procedures to support our stance that we will not Independent MP Paula Yacoubian told LOGI that she believed Lebanese and Algerian mafias were involved in a corruption scheme tied to the fuel imports. Tory MP Owen Paterson announced his resignation last week following revelations of his shameless lobbying for big businesses. Thats why the Tories manage to survive scandal after scandal. Panama Papers: Secret buyer seals deal for South Beach condo, U.S. investigated energy weapon, even aliens, but Havana Syndrome origin still unclear, Amid controversy, Biden administration shortens visit by Cuban Border Guard officials, Rubio questions planned visit by Cuban Border Guard delegation to Washington next week, Facebook takes down hundreds of fake accounts linked to the Cuban government targeting critics, A silent crisis: Miami experts discuss recent migration in South Florida at Herald townhall, Did a U.S. rapper make it rain money in Havana? How the 61-year-old embargo is blocking Cubans from finding sponsors in the U.S. Our operations in these products are global and we use our storage and logistics for blending and optimising timely deliveries to fulfil customer requirements. There is no overlap of ownership or management between the two companies, a representative of ZR Energy DMCC told Le Commerce du Levant. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. In the last seven years every Tory party treasurer has given at least 3 million and been offered a seat in the House of Lords. Venezuelas oil ministry, its information ministry - which handles media for the government - and PDVSA did not respond to questions. He added that in 1996 there was agreement on a triangular Russia/Cuba/Naft Trading S.A. deal to deliver Russian fuel to other markets for a number of tens of millions of US$.. Above all, the government remains ahead in the opinion polls even though it presides over one of the worst death rates in the world. Please enable JavaScript in your browser to submit the form, - | 01.03.2023. Its worth mentioning that influential Lebanese politicians, from both ends, support these companies and compete to impose them as fuel importers. Guillermo Faustino Rodrguez Lpez-Calleja also appears as the representative of seven foreign companies registered in Cuba: Acemex Management Company Limited; Caroil Transport Marine Limited; Nautilus Shipping Overseas Corp.; Northsouth Maritime Company Limited; Gulf Lake Enterprises Ltd.; Acando Shipping Co. Ltd.; and Gilmar Project Finance Establishment. Hayes recently opposed a plan to bring forward a ban on selling new petrol and diesel cars. The Swiss lawyer did not respond to El Nuevo Herald requests for comments on this story. October 19, 2018, 15:03 IST DUBAI: Trading company BB Energy has raised a $245 million revolving credit facility to refinance existing credit and for general corporate purposes, it said on Thursday. BB Energy's global network of middle distillates comprises of a wide range of products, most prominently jet, kerosene, diesel and heating oil. Beefing up global enforcement around corruption He receives a salary of 25,000 a year. Few traders had room to receive physical barrels at Cushing. Copyright 2023 BB Energy. Pakistan ranks 140th in Transparency International's Corruption Index 2022 . . The aftermath of the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria is no exception. Glencore has installed independent legal monitors to oversee its internal conduct as part of an agreement with the US government, marking a key milestone in the Swiss-based commodities house's . He said, There is a will to hold those involved in the scandal accountable.. Testimonies collected by Mount Lebanon Investigative Judge Nicolas Mansour as part of the preliminary investigation pointed to suspected shady deals to forge lab tests for the fuels quality specifications, and to the involvement of employees at the labs as well as senior officials at the Energy Ministry, including the director-general of oil installations, Sarkis Hleiss. Founded in Lebanon, BB Energy is one of the worlds leading independent energy trading companies, trading more than 33 million metric tonnes of oil every year. 2022 LOrient-Le Jour All rights reserved. After the report was published, Reliance did not respond to further questions from Reuters about why the PDVSA internal document proposed Reliance pay Rosneft a marketing fee related to the supply of crude under the Indian firms long-term supply contract with PDVSA. Employees are required to act honestly and ethically when dealing with business counterparts. State-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corp., or BPC, has awarded the building contract to a consortium of Japan's Marubeni Corp., Vitol Asia Pte. However, the dates for the first court hearings, which will be open to the public, have yet to be announced. The Lebanease newspaper, Al-Akhbar, published a tweet by the Former Energy Minister, Nada Boustani, in which she spoke of ministerial reports confirming the poor quality of fuel and demanding to go on with punitive measures against the suppliers. Last month the independent Parliamentary Standards Commissioner found Paterson had breached the tame paid advocacy rules. This is an actual Pandoras box that goes far beyond the chapter currently in the hands of the judiciary, he said. Moreover, he denied any relationship with the ZR Energy trading company. We made a separate appeal to examine the contract with Sonatrach, but it was rejected. Johnson even survived revelations that he would rather let the bodies pile high than push forward plans for a third lockdown. Zaouk is connected to Rahmeh, however, through another company, ZR Energy SAL Offshore, of which Rahmeh is a majority stakeholder and which, along with Zaouk, has a share in ownership of the Lebanese firm Domaz Holding. Its ownership was in the form of anonymous bearer shares the owners are whoever has those shares. Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. Under the new approach described to Reuters, Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA has at least twice asked its clients to make payments to Rosneft for Venezuelan oil, according to the documents. Miqati Says Cyprus Still Waiting for Lebanon's Ratification of Maritime Border Agreement. This raised many questions about the timing, and the reasons for neglecting it all these past years. Responding to Reuters story, Reliance strongly denied making any payments via third parties to PDVSA. On April 15, Wadih Akl, a lawyer affiliated with the Free Patriotic Movement, filed a complaint to the Mount Lebanon public prosecutors office in which he alleged that a fuel quality report for one of the tankers had been forged. Digital Subscription $1,909 Premium Subscription $3,179 Best Value Former prime minister Theresa May has made 842,526 giving paid speeches since March 2020. In view of the foregoing debate, were forced to return to the commercial relationship between Sonatrach and the Lebanese Ministry of Energy, and the pressure exercised by former Sonatrach CEO, Abdelmoumen Ould Kaddour, to adopt ZR Energy trading company as a second intermediary besides Baha Bassatne, as a supplier in the Algerian companys name; the thing that occurred a year and a half before opening the file. Procs du fuel dfectueux : 22 personnes sur le banc des accuss. Although Labour can now pick up on details of outrageous behaviour, it never offered a different strategy to that which put people before profits during the horror of the pandemic. Please check individual images for licensing details. Such transactions do not lead to any consequent payment to PDVSA and do not violate U.S. sanctions or policies.. 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