Free Republic

An elderly man from the United Kingdom has been held in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison for the last four years on charges of spying, according to his family, who is pushing for his release based on concern about his age and health. Kamal Foroughi, an engineer by training, was working as a consultant in the capital city of Tehran for the Malaysian national oil and gas company Petronas when Iranian authorities took him into custody in May 2011, taking him from his apartment without any warrant for his arrest, according to his family. "My dad is 76-years-old and gets no...

A Paris judge has launched an investigation into allegations that Total, the French oil and gas group, paid bribes to win a $2bn gas contract in Iran almost a decade ago. The move is a further blow for Christophe de Margerie, Total's head of exploration and production, who was involved in negotiating the Iranian South Pars contract and is due to take over as chief executive in February. Mr de Margerie, head of Total's Middle East activities from 1995 to 1999, is facing separate charges over allegations that he was involved in corruption during the scandal-plagued UN oil-for-food programme in...

Total's CEO Charged in Iran Probe By PIERRE-ANTOINE SOUCHARD The Associated Press Thursday, March 22, 2007; 6:26 PM PARIS -- An investigating judge filed preliminary charges Thursday against the chief executive of Total SA in a corruption case linked to a 1997 contract with Iran, the company and judicial officials said. Preliminary charges were filed against Total Chief Executive Christophe de Margerie for alleged abuse of company assets and corruption of foreign agents, the judicial officials said. They were not authorized to speak publicly about the case and provided information only on condition of anonymity. De Margerie, who replaced Thierry...

N'DJAMENA, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Chad ordered U.S. energy giant Chevron and Malaysia's Petronas on Saturday to leave the country within 24 hours for failing to honour tax obligations, a move apparently aimed at increasing control over its oil output. "From tomorrow, the representatives of Chevron and Petronas must leave Chad and close their offices," President Idriss Deby told a government meeting. The companies had been asked this month to honour corporate tax obligations. "Unfortunately the government has received no reaction from the two partners," Deby said. The surprise move followed Chad's decision to create a new national oil company...

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - A fire in a movie complex in Malaysia's iconic Petronas Twin Towers late Friday night triggered widespread panic among patrons who fled screaming and coughing from the thick, acrid smoke, witnesses said. There were no immediate reports of injury. Hundreds of people rushed out of several theaters on the third floor of the Suria KLCC shopping mall in the twin towers a little before midnight after dark gray smoke engulfed hallways, foyers and the cinemas, they said.