Whatever youre interested in, theres a free openDemocracy newsletter for you. At BB Energy, we are constantly evolving in order to meet new challenges, while developing our personnel to ensure a competitive edge. BB Energy is part of the Electricity, Oil & Gas industry, and located in United Kingdom. Regardless of whether payments flowed directly to PDVSA or remained in Russia to pay down debt, the proposed approach appears to present no violation of sanctions by any of the entities because no U.S. citizens, currency, companies or financial institutions seem to be involved, according to four sanctions experts consulted by Reuters. The Russian oil scheme appears to have been affected by the agreement between Cuba and Venezuela to exchange oil for medical services, and BB Naft expanded its work in Cuba in 2007 to include the sale of spare parts and batteries for autos and trucks, work boots, farm machinery, hardware for USD 5.3 million.. The branch he was managing, which was a subject for the report of the General Inspectorate of Finance, was dissolved. A letter sent to the Panamanian law firm in 1997 requested assistance organizing a fishing operation in the Turks and Caicos Islands with Cuban-flagged fishing boats.. It targets Tarek Fawal, who is in charge of clearing Sonatrach BVIs transactions related to receiving and unloading fuel shipments in Lebanon, and is accused of bribery, forgery and using counterfeit documents, as well as Zaouk. MPs should take all necessary steps to avoid the perception or reality they are using their public position for private gain.. For over five decades we have been applying our depth of specialist experience to oil refining, logistics, storage and financing across the world. They include BB Energy Trading Ltd., BB Energy Management S.A., BB Energy Holdings NV., BB Energy B.V., BB Energy (Asia) Pte. The report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Fair Fuel for UK Motorists and UK Hauliers decries the environmental evangelism and virtue signalling of the governments plan to phase out new petrol and diesel engines by 2030. BB Energy is one of the world's leading independent energy trading companies. Parliament is an unrepresentative, unaccountable front that covers for the real relations of power. He boldly claimed a delay would allow fossil fuels to become even cleaner. 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 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. State-run Bangladesh Petroleum Corp., or BPC, has awarded the building contract to a consortium of Japan's Marubeni Corp., Vitol Asia Pte. Instead, investigations have revealed that at least two companies owned by Lebanese businessmen, BB Energy and ZR Energy, were bringing in the fuel. 2022 LOrient-Le Jour All rights reserved. Panamericanas former director, Jos L. Fernndez de Cosso Domnguez, is listed in the leaked documents as a director of Miramar Investment Corporation Ltd, Euro Foods Ltd, Racuza S.A, Caribbean Sugar Trader, Mercaria Trading S.A. and Sabradell S.A. Fernndez more recently served as Cubas ambassador to Japan and economic attach at the embassy in Paris. It is also worth noting that Abdelmoumen Ould Kaddour used to be the manager of a Sonatrach branch at the beginning of the millennium before he was imprisoned on account of leaking information classified as military secrets. But he was forced to U-turn to try and end the wave of sleaze allegations. This is why parliament cannot be relied on for fundamental climate action. The report claims peerages appeared to be a reward to thank wealthy donors for funding the Tory party. The U.S. Treasury Department declined to respond to a request for comment. In one email exchange in 2011 involving a British company representing ALIMPORT the Cuban state agency that handles food and agricultural imports, valued at nearly $2 billion in 2014 that wanted to open an account with the BBVA bank, a bank employee in Great Britain asked why documents related to Miramar Investment Corporation Ltd had been notarized in Switzerland. The internal PDVSA document reviewed by Reuters showed the Venezuelan state oil firm asked Reliance to pay for oil sales under the long-term contract via Rosneft Trading SA, the Geneva-based trading unit of the Russian oil giant. Thats the case of Racuza S.A., incorporated in the British Virgin Islands. Ltd., after several rounds of negotiations with a number of companies, the official added. However, Reuters was unable to independently verify if the agreement was implemented and remains in force. BB Energy has trading hubs in the UAE, the U.K., the US, and Singapore. Global Policy Forum, a non-government agency that monitors the work of the United Nations, also included BB Energy in a list of beneficiaries of the so-called oil bribes distributed by Saddam Hussein to recruit international support for weakening U.N. and other economic sanctions against Iraq. BB Energy ("BBE or the Group") was established by the Bassatne Family who started a commodities business in Lebanon in 1937, trading grain and asphalt. The contract may be summarized as follows: Sonatrach will give its name to the shipments of Baha Bassatne, who buys fuel from the Swiss company Vitol, for 3.5 dollars per metric ton, while he makes 25 dollars as profit in his deals with the end customer in Lebanon. That the energy industry carries heightened corruption risks is well documented: when the OECD analysed 427 anti-bribery enforcement actions in 2014, they found that almost one in five related to the extractive industries. According to the Dubai commercial register, ZR Energy DMCC is fully owned by Zaouk. John Hayes earns 50,000 per year as a strategic advisor for BB Energy, a major trader in crude oil and other petrochemical products. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 3.1. He receives a salary of 25,000 a year. Maduro has accused U.S. President Donald Trump of waging economic war against Venezuela. Its stated aims are to challenge what it describes as the extremely damaging and harmful policies designed to mitigate climate change. By April 28, Mount Lebanon Public Prosecutor Ghada Aoun said 21 people had been arrested in the case, mostly employees of the Oil Installations. The deal between the Lebanese and Algerian governments was to provide the Lebanese market mainly with heavy fuel oil to meet the needs of power plants, a fuel that Algeria does not produce in sufficient quantities, as the Algerian oil Saharan Blend is known for being a light crude type. Baha Bassatne remained the sole Sonatrach broker until Abdelmoumen Ould Kaddour was appointed general manager of the company and imposed another intermediary. This is an actual Pandoras box that goes far beyond the chapter currently in the hands of the judiciary, he said. As Johnson announced Covid safety restrictions in March 2020, the government handed Randox a 133 million contract to manufacture Covid tests. BB Energy's global network of middle distillates comprises of a wide range of products, most prominently jet, kerosene, diesel and heating oil. Proceed to our online shop below to find out more about the features in each package. 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. The response of Sonatrachs representative in Lebanon, Tarek Fawal, was quick, as he declared the companys willingness to cooperate with the Ministry of Energy to resolve the issues related to what he called the lack of conformity of the last shipment of fuel to the specifications, noting that this shipmentestimated at 38,000 tonswas examined by three different international offices who confirmed that it in fact met the specifications stipulated in the contract. They include Petrobras, Vitol, and Glencore Limited. The decision to award ZR Energy DMCC a new contract, despite its alleged involvement in the tainted fuel case, was explained by the presumption of innocence a principle applicable as long as no [verdict] was issued, an official source said. Private landlords and housing associations may apply for a grant on behalf of tenants who meet the eligibility criteria. If youre rich and want a place of power in politics, donate 3 million to the Conservative Party and youre likely to gain a peerage. The Lebanese judiciary expanded investigation into the fuel import file, and considered that the Algerian company charges commissions just because it is a front for the actual fuel supplier. MPs duly voted for it. The analysis and opinions they express through LOGI are their own and do not reflect the view of their respective employers. Companies registered abroad are legally not Cuban, according to the source, and could be used for dollar-denominated transactions. Hayes declared his role at the oil. Labiofam S.A. bought all the shares of BioAsia Ltd. in 2009. Wars, natural disasters and economic downturns have historically exposed children to the danger of trafficking and illegal adoption. The Public Prosecution in Mount Lebanon has triggered a heavy-caliber scandal, by arresting two dealers who were supposed to supply the Lebanese Electricity Company with Algerian fuel used in generating electricity. Oil accounts for more than 90 percent of exports from the OPEC nation and the lions share of government revenues. 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. The trial is a step in the right direction, he said. All individuals involved in this initiative - including co-founders, advisory board members, and experts - are serving in their personal capacity. Erni was most recently. Above all, the government remains ahead in the opinion polls even though it presides over one of the worst death rates in the world. The family controls BB Energy, a conglomerate founded in Lebanon in 1937 that buys and sells 16 million metric tons of crude and derivatives each year. The government was forced to go back on itself and announced there would be a vote on Patersons suspension. In an email, an official wrote that Matt Hancock, health secretary at the time, would send a letter to universities asking for loans of the various things we need. Fuel poverty and energy efficiency are inevitably linked, the less efficient a property is the costlier it is to heat. In 1963 they entered the oil sector in Lebanon and were primarily involved in local marketing of oil products and importation of Bitumen. The company did not respond to a request for comment. Lebanese judicial sources told Daraj that the investigation will not be limited to the technical specifications of fuel, but will also include the commissions Sonatrach is making. Laurence Robertson . Mossack Fonseca was listed as the registered agent for most of the companies. The money is in our account and as yet we have not paid anyone, said the spokesman. . Four high-level suspects, including Hleiss, and Teddy Rahme and Ibrahim al-Zouk of ZR Energy, did not respond to court summons and arrest warrants were issued for them. Sonatrach has been involved in at least two major corruption cases in the past decade, both of which involved the payment of bribes to company employees and officials. These trading experts are supported by a highly skilled team of operations, shipping and financepersonnel concentrated in Athens. At the time of renewal of the contracts related to supplying the Lebanese market in December 2018, ZR Energy, owned by Teddy and Rimon Rahma, took a share of it for 3.75 USD/metric ton for Sonatrach, the thing which Tarek Fawal insisted on denying in his interview to the Lebanese newspaper al-Akhbar. For over five decades we have been applying our depth of specialist experience to oil refining, logistics, storage and financing across the world. Successive . But the stench of corruption was too much. BB Energy is not known to be involved in fracking but says that it sells oil around the world - and is one of the largest traders in the Mediterranean. Asked about Rosnefts offer and the fuel cargo payment, a spokesman for BB Energy said the company had not completed the transaction, under guidance from legal counsel. There seems to be a tendency to prosecute managers and employees of the Lebanese Al-Zahrani Electricity Company as accomplices and facilitators of these operations; and while ZR Energys owners are being interrogated, the investigations will expand to reach the date of signing the contract with the Algerian company in 2005. It showed that fuel was of acceptable quality, when another test showed it was not. Standards commissioner Kathryn Stone has carried out three investigations into Johnson in the past three years. A State Department spokeswoman said: We encourage companies, banks, and other institutions to refrain from providing services that support (Maduros) repressive practices.. This story was originally published June 7, 2016, 10:06 AM. At times, however, the shield of anonymity over Cuban companies is not very effective. 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? The Tories can get away with corruption and sleaze when theres no real opposition. The managing team of Sonatrach, at that time, instructed Sonatrach Petroleum Corporation (London branch) to carry out the deal.The deal that was negotiated then created the branch of Sonatrach in London, a front for a Lebanese trader named Baha Bassatne, whose company (BB Energy) had been receiving a lions share of the profit margin obtained from these triangular business processes. Last month, he also joined calls from Tory MPs to allow shale fracking to resume in the UK. Last month the independent Parliamentary Standards Commissioner found Paterson had breached the tame paid advocacy rules. Every time something was purchased in dollars, it could not be done because the Cuban checks in dollars were automatically canceled because the dollars belong to the U.S. Federal Reserve, the source said. The Covid-19 public inquiry is a historic chance to find out what really happened. Ltd., in February of this year to import 2,880,000 barrels of diesel fuel. 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.. Overview of anti-corruption in the renewable energy sector The renewable energy sector is a rapidly growing market that is crucial to increasing access to energy and supporting climate change mitigation. Owen Patersonthe MP who lobbied for private companies in the pandemic (Picture: Flickr/ NFU Pics). 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. A zero tolerance approach to any deviance from such requirement is adopted throughout the group. From the beginning of the pandemic, Labour leader Keir Starmer spent nearly all his time agreeing with Boris Johnson in a show of national unity. Tory whips threatened MPs with the loss of local funding unless they fell into line. 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. Industry, and could be used for dollar-denominated transactions President Donald Trump waging... 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