The crew on board the Polarcus Adira in the Mediterranean Sea – Picture from The DailyStar
I was reading an article on the “serious concerns over transparency in Lebanon’s oil and gas process” and they mentioned Lebanon’s ranking in the ‘public trust in politicians’ category as per the The Global Competitiveness Report 2013-2014. I looked up the report and we “proudly” ranked last in that category.
Moreover, the report stated the below as the top 4 problematic factors for doing business in Lebanon:
– Government instability/coups
– Inefficient government bureaucracy
– Corruption
– Inadequate supply of infrastructure
This being said, let’s pray that oil and gas companies will never sign any contract with the Lebanese authorities until further notice.
Here are few excerpts from the original article as well:
Lebanese politicians are the least trustworthy in the world, or so its people think — in last month’s World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report the country scored 148th out of 148 in the ‘public trust in politicians’ category. The oil and gas industry is among the world’s most secretive, with Middle Eastern countries among the least forthcoming with their information, according to the pro-transparency group Revenue Watch.
A senior source with knowledge of the negotiations told Executive that Bassil has controversially been contacting oil and gas companies, seeking to meet them personally. This is highly unusual and potentially suggests Bassil’s role in the process needs evaluation. “I have never seen this anywhere in the world, not even in deeply corrupt countries like Nigeria and Algeria,” the source said. Several of the largest companies in the bidding round have expressed their discontent at Bassil’s conduct, the source added. “The companies are saying that it is not the way it should be done. [Source]
“A senior source with knowledge of the negotiations told Executive that Bassil has controversially been contacting oil and gas companies, seeking to meet them personally. This is highly unusual and potentially suggests Bassil’s role in the process needs evaluation. “I have never seen this anywhere in the world, not even in deeply corrupt countries like Nigeria and Algeria,” the source said.”
Go Bassil go! No further comment needed about the baby king…
Here’s another interesting fact.
Bassil rented the Fatmagul Ship from the Karadeniz Energy Group, even though better offers could have been supplied by Korean companies. However it boiled down to the fact that Karadeniz is a family business through which Bassil is not bound by strict accounting.
You do know that Fatmagul representatives are pro Harriri right?
ba3d masheft wala war2a… khalle l 7arire w sanioura yreddo l masare l ser2inon abel ma tettehmo li 3am yeshteghil inno 3am ysamsir … mfakkrin kill l 3alam metlon
Karadezin representative in Lebanon is Samir Doumit . He is a high ranked member of Future Movement and he is very close to Hariri.
DUDE!! were having about 20 hours of electricity the last 7 days and even few days of 24 hrs, he promised that by fall 2013 we will have up to 20 hours of electricity if nothing goes wrong(lebanese have very short term memory i dont think anyone will remember that) so IFF u can/want to see were having that, if hes stealing money and doing deals he wont bother himself working on fixing this, EVEN doing “deals” at least were having electricity now, others stole and DIDNT work on it.
http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/102479-syria-rebels-kill-jamaa-jamaa-top-intelligence-officer
May he rest uncomfortably in HEll!!
So you foresee millions of dollars being stolen from this industry? We have zero percent return on our taxes from all industries, so this is expected:(
I think throwing corruption accusation on Bassil in a dossier that didn’t generate any income yet is purely political propaganda.
Yes there are questions regarding the systematic process of a bid but you should ask yourselves what drove this strategy?
wasn’t it the sketchy behavior of some politicians placing hurdles since day 1 in a plan that was initially approved by Saad Harriri government?
I think rather than finger pointing on the Aounists ministers (this is what this blog has been doing ski far – a clear anti-Aoun agenda) you better focus your energy on finding the BILLIONS that were stolen during Harriri/Sanioura era and that actually led to the public discontent… but of course not a single thread on that scandal!
I can’t believe how anyone would defend Bassil’s actions. All our politicians, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM, is corrupt, but Bassil is simply on a level of his own.
And you think by throwing accusations left and right you would eventually be proven rightful?
Any proof that Bassil actually got implicated in a scandal?
ALL accusations so far, ALL OF THEM turned out to be false:
– the magnificent villa with the pool… FALSE
– the private jet he bought…. FALSE
– he made billions out of his presence in the ministry of telecom…. FALSE
– the red mahout accusation…. FALSE
– the 2 ships will never come because it was a bad deal…. FALSE
and now more stupid shallow accusation that will eventually turn out FALSE!
while Harriri, Sanioura and others implication in frauds, corruption and stealing is well documented and we are anxiously waiting to see justice taking firm calls at the end.
red Mazout*
Guess someone is so far up Aoun’s ass that he hasn’t seen the daylight in a long time.
All politicians are corrupt. There’s no doubt in that. This is an article about oil and gas in Lebanon, best practice, the way Gebran Bassil is conducting himself etc.
Get over it. Ranting in a blog ain’t gonna change shit.
Josef,
To be honest I am puzzled by your comments as I’ve never seen anyone so avid to defend yet another corrupt minister, no matter what party he belongs to.
One question for you and let’s see if you have an answer for it:
– Did the Qatari make a proposal to solve our electricity issues yes or not? and why it didn’t go thru?
– Did an American company also make a proposal for solving the electricity problem in Lebanon? What happened?
– why did Bassil reject the Deir Ammar bid even though it was won clearly and convincingly by a Spanish company? (represented in Lebanon?) and please don’t tell me because it exceeded the set budget.
There are 3 of tons of other question marks on his performance as an energy minister, not to mention the inexisting dams he inaugurated, the one that threatens the Jeita Grotto and all of Keserwan’s water supply, the racist remarks against refugees, the red mazout accusation which is everything but false but implicated several parties, what he’s doing in Batroun etc …
This is not about Bassil. This is about holding everyone accountable for their work no matter what party they came from. That’s what you are unable to understand.
were getting 20 to 24 hours electricity now arent we ? cant you see ?(where others couldnt do it), thats what you want right ?
then dont ask questions
people nag about not having electricity and then nag about having it 7tarna ya 2ar3a men wein badna nabousik
if he was corrupt and making deals he wouldnt even bother himself fix it
-the racist remarks agains the refugees ? well let me tell you EVERYONE is annoyed by the FLOODING of refugees even the ones who talked against him back then now they r realizing that they should have closed or controlled the borders as bassil proposed this is what EVERYONE wants
Where exactly do you live? I want to move there
in lebanon… duh!
Come’on! Don’t act stupid. There are no where in Lebanon that is getting so much electricity except Beirut (As it has always been).
i live in jounieh and were getting more than 20 hrs of electricity, either u dont wanna see that or u dont live in lebanon
Najib
Can you please give us more detail on the Qatari and American proposal?
I have never heard of it. Keep in mind that Iran offered to build a dam in Tannourine and it was rejected by M14.
As for Deir Amar, yes the proposal exceeded the 500M budget by 160 M$. How do u propose to pay the additional amount.
Re-tendering resulted in awarding a greek company for less than 500M$
“inexisting ” dams. Seriously. Have you been to Boqaata or the rest of the inaugurated dam ? Dams require 3+ years to be operational unless u think u can build a dam in a cpl of months.
Janeh Dam doesn’t threaten Jeitta Grotto , the BGS report u published earlier is totally wrong.
As for the red Mazout he was found innocent by the Shura , tftich al markazeh … Same goes for all the other false accusations.
I am not sure what you mean but what he is doing in Batroun.
You are right , this is not about Bassil. This is about us , citizens , blinded by the false media reports that we read and watch and the politicians’ lies that we believe just because we hate bassil.
At least Bassil is working. Go check for yourself if u want
Building dams : Boqaata, Mseilha, Balaa, Janneh, Kweichra and this week he will inaugurate a new one. ( 6 dams is one year where for the past 50 years u only had 2 dams)
Building new power plants , re-habilating old ones.
Check Jiyeh, Zouk , Zahrani ….
He brought the power ships which are providing 3 hours of electricity to all regions.
the list goes on … and don’t forget the effort done in 2 years to put Lebanon on the petroleum map.
I am not expecting u to praise Bassil , at the end of the day it is his job , but at least once be fair and objective. i m ready to provide u with any information needed or clarify any concerns u have.
Rawad,
I cannot give you more details as I don’t have much which is why I asked if you knew anything about them. As for the other things:
– Iran? Seriously?
– Why was the bid won then if they knew it exceeded the bid? You can’t expect a reputable company to drop 160M just like that. They shouldn’t have been awarded the bid that way.
– We will see what happens in 3 years because we were promised 24/7 electricity this year no?
– How is it wrong? Did the ministry publish a counter report? I would love to check it out.
– The mazout thing is a big scandal that concerns many. Let’s not go there a7san.
As for the damns, why werent they inaugurated before? When are they expected to finish? Because inaugurating is one thing and finishing is another.
-Building new power plants , re-habilating old ones.
Which new power plants?
– He brought the power ships which are providing 3 hours of electricity to all regions.
and are polluting further.
– the list goes on … and don’t forget the effort done in 2 years to put Lebanon on the petroleum map.
Is the article wrong as well about him approaching companies? Why doesn’t he sue the paper and clarify all this?
I am not criticizing Bassil as a person but as a minister and I don’t care what his political affiliations are. He is so far failing in achieving any of his plans and projects so he must be doing something wrong. We all knew the Energy Ministry was impossible to manage but there’s no sign of improvement. He could be a smart guy but maybe his ways r not the right ones??
Let’s be objective and see what has been achieved. Let’s hold everyone accountable for their acts and see how it can be improved. People’s lives were not made better in terms of electricity and water by the minister so something’s not right. The Telecom minister on the other hand was able to make some positive changes and gain supporters in the online community starting with me.
no we WERENT promised 24hr electricity this year its by 2015
and were getting MORE than 20 hrs, u dont remember how was last year and how it is now! so hes not failing, he said in the beginning of summer that by fall 2013 we will have about 20hrs of electricity
Who is getting 20 hours everyday? Jounieh people? Are you sure about that? Cause I live there 🙂
Najib
Can you please email me your contact details or email address ( rawad.rizk@gmail.com) ?
Iran? Seriously?
Yes and they also offered to power wheel free electricity through Syria.
I know there is nothing free and u always end up paying a political price but this should apply on Saudi and other countries 2.
We can’t be selective , either accept or refuse all offers alike
– Why was the bid won then if they knew it exceeded the bid?
Abener won the bid but it wasn’t awarded the contract. Whenever you have a tender and u open all envelopes in front of these companies u announce a TEMPORARY winner but the gov is not abided to award.
The budget was 500M$ and the results exceeded this budget. Yes u can’t expect a reputable co to drop 160M$ and if they do this only means that they are ripping you off. The negotiation resulted in a significant drop but it wasn’t enough. That is y the ministry re-tendered. The difference between the 1st and 2nd contract was the spare parts which are not necessary during the first 5 years.
You can’t expect a reputable company to drop 160M just like that. They shouldn’t have been awarded the bid that way.
Again they were not awarded , You are obliged to announce the temporary winner in order to be transparent.
– We will see what happens in 3 years because we were promised 24/7 electricity this year no?
Bassil promised 24/7 by 2015 and not this year.And hopefully we will reach that point.
– How is it wrong? Did the ministry publish a counter report? I would love to check it out.
Yes the ministry published a counter report which was done by 3 different international and local companies. To summarize it the water source to Jeita is not Naher Ibrahim . After serious studies they discovered that there is a source feeding both Jeita and Naher Ibrahim adn this means the dam will not have any effect on Jeita.
i will mail it to you.
– The mazout thing is a big scandal that concerns many. Let’s not go there a7san.
yes it was and let us go there because the investigations revealed that many politicians are guilty.
check this article and u will get the idea
http://rachabouzaki.blogspot.com/2011/05/blog-post_8985.html
This cartel is more powerful than any ministry or minister and u probably remember what happened when bassil decided to reduce the tax and the benefits of these companies in 2010
These dams require a lot of studies and Istimlaqet which started in 2010 and were finalized by the end of 2012 . The plan was to inaugurate 10 by 2013 and there are ongoing studies on another 46 dams so far 5 were inaugurated and hopefully we will be able to inaugurate the rest by the end of this year.
Yes you are right inaugurating is one things and having the dams is something else.
As for the time frame , it depends on the size of the dam . Janeh for example is 160 M high .
We are talking abt 3 years give and take few months.
-Building new power plants , re-habilating old ones.
Rehabilitation for Zouk , deir amar zahrani and Jiyeh.
Which new power plants?
Zouk,Deir Amar , Jiyeh, total of 840MW
– He brought the power ships which are providing 3 hours of electricity to all regions.
and are polluting further. True but u can’t generate electricity without polluting unless you are using renewable energy. But i can assure u that the ships are less polluting than the power plants
– the list goes on … and don’t forget the effort done in 2 years to put Lebanon on the petroleum map.
Is the article wrong as well about him approaching companies? Why doesn’t he sue the paper and clarify all this?
A statement will be released soon clarifying these issues. Some of these companies are withdrawing and this is catastrophic.
There has been a lot of public sessions with the companies from one side and the ministry and PA on the other side. In short the government is not paying a $ and all the burden is on the companies. The cost of digging a well is 100M$ and it can result in 0 profit. These companies have the right to approach the gov and the PA to clarify any points . Also these meetings resulted in having 46 companies which was done also by many seminars in DC , Rome , Russia …
I guess u get my point
I am not criticizing Bassil as a person but as a minister and I don’t care what his political affiliations are. He is so far failing in achieving any of his plans and projects so he must be doing something wrong. We all knew the Energy Ministry was impossible to manage but there’s no sign of improvement. He could be a smart guy but maybe his ways r not the right ones??
U might not agree with his ways and i understand that but there is a significant improvement. The problem is energy project are costly and take time. A lot of people are obstructing and this is not helping.
Let’s be objective and see what has been achieved. Let’s hold everyone accountable for their acts and see how it can be improved. People’s lives were not made better in terms of electricity and water by the minister so something’s not right. The Telecom minister on the other hand was able to make some positive changes and gain supporters in the online community starting with me.
Sehanoui did a good job but the telecom sector was profitable and well established. We are still behind but remember it is run by private operators so it is difficult to cpmapre.
On the other hand EDL is a corrupt institution which has been losing billions for years. This is y the private SP were introduced hoping to change things.
I second what u said abt being objective and this is y i m willing to provide u any information needed regarding EDL , the ministry …. in order to have a clear idea of what is going on and make ur own judgement.
Najib, all your above answers can be asked directly to the ministry and it will be answered. but non of these questions lead to a clear EVIDENCE of corruption.
these are speculations. only speculation overused in a political propaganda in a continuous lame attempt to tarnish the image of Aounist ministers.
Josef,
As long as there r no proof I won’t be posting or asking anyone about it but there have been so many stories around Bassil that one has to ask where are they coming from? And Some of the people who told me these stories r people I generally trust and not so far from Bassil politically.
Eitherway the study says it all in terms of Lebanese politicians as a whole and not Bassil
I’ll start things out by saying Bassil is a complete idiot. I don’t know why he’s in politics (well, I do, 3ammo Aoun decided he should be).
Now, personal opinions aside. Let’s get to some of the facts.
The electricity file:
When Bassil was appointed minister, he set out a plan for what he wanted to do. I don’t know how rigorous the report was, but it seemed reasonable. Rehabilitate old plants, build new dual gas and fuel oil plants, and in the interim, rent ships out to cover some of the supply shortage. Oh, and there were some points regarding renewables and moving to gas.
Now, under Bassil, he actually achieved most of these goals. Zouk is being rehabilitated, Deir Ammar was assigned, he got two ships, and he actually set out numerous plans to incentivise solar panels (interest free loans, special deals).
The summer of 2012 was disgusting. Where I live, we had 4 to 6 hours a day of electricity. Last summer, we had between 6 and 12 hours a day (more variable, but still much more on average).
Definitely not a resounding success, and he could’ve spared me his posters. But I think he accomplished most of his goals.
Water:
I’m not too knowledgable regarding all the projects he initiated. However, I remember seeing about 3 inaugurations (which he loves publicising). It does take at least 2 years to have a dam operational (a minimum of 1 to actually fill it if the conditions are right). So it’s normal none are functioning now.
Regarding the Jeita claim, all I can say is that it’s pure bullshit. I have an engineering background, and I have done way too many studies on failed dams. If Jeita interacts in any way with the dam, it will most probably fail. That wouldn’t be the minister’s fault, but the engineers who designed it. I highly doubt the professionals in my field can make such a glaring mistaking, ignoring one of the biggest underground caves in the country.
Oil Industry:
As the executive article stated, there’s definitely not enough transparency. But the Petroleum Authority is doing well. Also, a lot of the Big Oil companies were interested in the initial round. He must be doing something right if they’re submitting applications. As for contacting the companies directly (the operators, not contractors), and they aren’t reporting it, it’s a massive scandal within the company itself. I’m not saying it is impossible, but with the operators including Total ExxonMobil and Shell, unlikely any bribery is happening.
This would be his weakest point. But I would like to point out the strong efforts against any cabinet discussion regarding this matter (even before the collapse of the government).
Unfortunately, Bassil is probably one of the most proactive ministers the ministry has seen in a decade or so. I say unfortunately because he’s incredibly unprofessional, as can be seen by his failure in the oil sector, and his repeated false promises. Also, he’s unsuccessful because his ministry can’t reassure the Lebanese people. I mean if you have people believing Jeita will flood because of a dam, you’re doing something wrong.
It’s sad that we cannot even criticize the sides we support. Our priority has become supporting a political party till death even if it means surrendering our rights. Screw all lebanese politicians.
hello idiots!
Aoun supporters logic:
-Statement:Bassil is a corrupt minister.
-Answer: eh khayyi bas Hariri 7arami w Geagea mijrim.
-Statement: You support Asaad who is a dictator and killing his people
-Answer: eh khayyi bas Geagea mijrim w Hariri 7arami
-Statement: You support Iran and Hizbollah who’s an extremist Islamic terrorist organization
-Answer: eh khayyi bas Hariri Wahabi w Geagea mijrim
-Statement: You fill your FB and Twitter timeline with support messages for Lebanese army but you’re against disarming militias
-Answer: Aslan haydi resistance against Israel. Hariri 3indo militia w Geagea mijrim
-Statement: But when was the last time Hizb fought Israel? All they did last years was fight internally and now help Asaad kill his own people. No single shot at Israel
-Answer: khayyi ma bti2ra akhbar. Okab Sakr 3taraf w ma chift Chou sat bi ma3loula w Geaga mijrim by the way.
-Statement:Bassil is a corrupt minister.
-Answer: prove it, Harriri and Saniora are corrupted and it is proven. Geagea is a criminal and he was convicted in many trials.
-Statement: You support Asaad who is a dictator and killing his people
-Answer: no we don’t. we never supported any dictatorship and it was clear that GMAoun stated that he is in favor for a democratic transition in Syria, not through violence and not to give the governance to RADICALS.
-Statement: You support Iran and Hizbollah who’s an extremist Islamic terrorist organization
-Answer: we support Iran in what? Hezbollah is still considered a Lebanese Resistance Group by your many governments including the Harriri ones (Rafic and Saad)
-Statement: You fill your FB and Twitter timeline with support messages for Lebanese army but you’re against disarming militias
-Answer: We are with disarming ALL militias, but to reach that you need to give the army proper weapons for him to be able to defend against Israel. it seems that some TRUST Israel blindly that they are ready to bend over naked for it.
-Statement: But when was the last time Hizb fought Israel? All they did last years was fight internally and now help Asaad kill his own people. No single shot at Israel
-Answer: ever heard of Balance of power strategy? go read about it, understand it dynamics and how it works and then come back a little bit more mature so that I don’t waste my time replying to you.
Man you’re so down in the brain wash that it’s no longer annoying, but funny. Get a life.
what a wise reply on factual response.
That’s what I was expecting, when being in a debate and someone is cornered with appropriate answers the cliché flies out:
“get a life”
don’t you have a better more logical response? a constructive one?
or you like to “live your life’ by only pointing fingers and throwing shallow accusations in the wrong direction?
Najib
As for the executive article. The source is a Berri representative. i can give you his name if you want. What he said is nothing but false accusations.
The Petroleum law requires that the minister meet with the oil co especially now that they have many concerns on the future of the biding round.
Bassil met companies with the Petroleum Authority based on requests from the IOCs.
I will quote from MESP . U can google them .
MESP @mestrate 18 Oct
@executivemag @Gebran_Bassil Article confuses “negotiations” & “contacts”. It’s part of the Energy Minister’s ToR to promote Lebanon’s.. 1/2
MESP @mestrate 18 Oct
@executivemag @Gebran_Bassil … resources and attractiveness for investors. That naturally includes contacts with companies 2/2
Here are some pictures from Boqaata “inexisiting” dam
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.594404817282767.1073741859.207368492653070&type=3
If The oil companies known to be the most cunning, murdering, corrupt, granted contracts on wars, blood, power and bribes are saying They have never seen anything like Bassil before.
& the rest of y’all taking sides.
In the early 20th century, that was probably true. Up until the 1980s, that was also probably true. Right now, the oil and gas industry is probably one of the most professional in the world. Sure, it has idiots, but it’s not cunning/murdering/corrupt.
As for them saying they’ve never seen anything like Bassil, it’s one source with knowledge of all the negotiations (i.e. he’s on the Lebanese side I assume). But this one source has never seen anything like this, even in Algeria or Nigeria.
I don’t get it, is he on the Lebanese side or international side. Also, what oil companies would openly discuss the behaviour of a minister with a single person? Who has that level of trust from those companies?
The only valid point I get from the story: “so far, so good.” “They have been leading a transparent process as far as the licensing agreements are concerned. So far everything is out in the open.”
I also understand Bassil is too stupid to know what happened with the funds from the seismic maps, and doesn’t know why an environmental survey is important (alternatively, the guy in charge of it could’ve been a lazy asshole and hasn’t bothered completing it).
Everything else is based on speculation, “sources”, and idiotic and ignorant statements issued by Bassil.
Yup, the single source credited through the executive article doesn’t even make logical sense. I don’t understand how any news organisation can let something that incoherent pass through its nets.
granted that it’s one source, but also I said “granted contracts on wars” dont you really think thats how oil companies in conflict areas landed contracts? who really gave them those contracts? and beyond that check the BP oil spill, how it happened etc.. oil business is not that clean.
You’re right in this article it might be based on one person, however the ranking of 148 is not. Any Lebanese who claims to be pleased with any of the ministers (and parliament) performance is a complete hypocrite.
You can disapprove of the system, but respect individuals and individual performance. It’s not being hypocritical.
Three ministers I am/was satisfied with:
Charbel Nahas. Although I ideologically disagreed with some of his proposals, he was the only minister to stand up for the little man. His tactics were somewhat populist, but he fought for what he genuinely believed would improve the country. Also, he did not give a flying fuck about mastering the political system in Lebanon, he attacked it head on.
Ziad Baroud: I don’t need to elaborate. Sometimes wouldn’t stand up for what he thought was right as much as he should have, but he got his act together when it matters.
Nicolas Sehnaoui: 3G, LTE, tripled our bandwidth, lowered the internet price. That’s the stuff I care about. I can finally viber, whatsapp, and tweet on the go.
The ranking is about our perception of our politicians. I’ll be the first to tell you we have politicians (including those of Sehnaoui’s party) who are profiting off our backs. That’s why we’re ranked 148. It’s also because the government is completely not transparent. That’s irrelevant to our perception of an individual minister’s performance. So your argument that it’s hypocritical is invalid.
As for the Macondo Well (BP), it was mostly due to negligence on behalf of the engineers, as they were overconfident. It’s not corruption, just bad engineering. It’s definitely not an issue of corruption.
And all of the big oil companies are so highly regulated by their governments, that these “war contracts” surprisingly wouldn’t involve any bribes. Yes, they’ll screw over the local population because of bad choices by the host government, but their business behaviour falls in line with international business “ethics”.
You’re failing to see what I mean when I speak of contracts being granted after wars/occupations, aya ethics hayde if the core is built on crime, just like my phone been failing since Sehnaoui took over.