By Nneka Nwogwugwu
Saipem, an Italian company that provides services in the energy and infrastructure sector, was sentenced by the Court of Algiers, which ruled on Wednesday, as part of the criminal proceedings underway since 2019 in the country concerning, among other things, the procedures for assigning in 2008 the “GNL3 Arzew”, a project relating to liquefaction of the gas.
This was made known through a press release that with the sentence of the Court, a fine for a total of 192 million euros “Payable by Saipem SpA, Saipem Contracting Algérie and Snamprogetti SpA Algeria Branch”.
The latter, the company specifies, have been accused of the cases sanctioned by the Algerian law of “price increases on the occasion of the award of contracts concluded with a public company of an industrial and commercial nature benefiting from the authority or influence of representatives of that company” and of “false customs declarations”.
Saipem, in fact explained that the fine will affect the 2021 accounts even if the relative sum of money will not be paid at the moment, as the conviction decision of the Court of Algiers will be challenged on appeal with “consequent suspension of its effects”.
In support of its position, Saipem also underlines that “the Italian judicial authority, following the outcome of a criminal proceeding in which the procedures for assigning the LNG3 Arzew project in 2008 were also analyzed, issued a sentence of acquittal on 14 December 2020 definitively”.
It must in fact be remembered that, in relation to the same facts, the Court of Milan had acquitted the company. However, the Court of Algiers has evidently judged the question differently, and also sentenced “two former employees of the Saipem Group.
