News regarding the arrest of Touraj Dehghani, CEO of Pars Oil and Gas Company, on charges of collusion and corruption in contracts related to the company's contractors, and prior to that the arrest of two managers of this company, has once again brought the ambiguous contracts of Pars Oil and Gas Company with contractors, especially Mohammad Ali Fatemi and companies associated with him such as "Fateh Sanat" and "Enerchemie", into focus. The main question is why, despite the expansion of judicial and security actions against the managers of this organization, the status of the contractors involved in the contracts under review has not yet been clearly determined?
The issue of Mohammad Ali Fatemi's activities was also raised before the war. According to available information, Fatemi was arrested at one point, and his entry into oil companies, including Pars Oil and Gas Company, faced restrictions. However, the dimensions of the contracts of companies associated with him and the execution of some major projects still require investigation and transparency.
From Pars Marine Hotel to Helicopter Contracts
One of the most important aspects of this case relates to Mohammad Ali Fatemi's projects in Pars Oil and Gas Company. "Pars Marine Hotel" is among the projects associated with him, and alongside it, contracts in the field of helicopter supply and rental were also awarded to entities associated with Fatemi; contracts in which significant amounts were paid in the form of helicopter rental and service provision.
The information presented about the execution of these contracts indicates that in areas such as human resource contracting, helicopters, and accommodation provision, instances of unrealistic cost increases have been examined. For example, it is said that in some reports, a helicopter flight path was calculated as multiple routes, and the duration of staff stays was recorded as longer than the actual time.
If these cases are proven, the issue is not limited to the performance of a single contractor, and the role of managers who facilitated the approval of reports, contract amendments, or payment of amounts should also be examined.
The importance of this case has now increased. Before the war, news of the arrest of two managers appointed by Touraj Dehghani in Pars Oil and Gas Company was raised; managers who, according to available information, were responsible for communication and coordination with Fatemi. Now, with the arrest of Dehghani himself, the process of dealing with the company's managers on charges of corruption and collusion with contractors has entered a new phase.
Cases from Marun to Bandar Abbas and Bushehr
The disputed activities of Mohammad Ali Fatemi are not limited to Pars Oil and Gas Company. The disclosed cases about Fatemi's performance and the companies under his control or associated with him in the oil and petrochemical industry include a range of major projects.
Among these are the Bandar Abbas refinery case, contracts concluded with Marun Petrochemical during Amin Amraei's management, Bushehr Petrochemical projects, and also Zanjan Petrochemical Company.
Full text of Feydus report on Bandar Abbas refinery corruption
At least 10 major projects in Iran's petrochemical industry can be mentioned where the name of Mohammad Ali Fatemi or companies associated with him have been raised. The types of contracts have also varied; from the sale of goods and service provision to engineering contracts and the execution of industrial projects.
One of the significant examples relates to Marun Petrochemical. In this case, a contract in the range of 27 to 28 million dollars for engineering services was raised, which according to published information, the services subject to the contract were not actually provided. These services were sold to Marun Petrochemical under the title of using engineering services from a German company. The manner in which this contract was concluded between the entity associated with Fatemi and Amin Amraei, CEO of Marun Petrochemical, is one of the issues that requires precise examination of financial and technical documents.
The Bandar Abbas refinery case has much larger financial dimensions, and the lobbying between Fatemi and Ahmad Hashemi, CEO of the refinery, advanced to the level of changing the second phase of the refinery with the aim of greater profit for Fatemi. In this project, too, there is talk of the transfer of several hundred million dollars in related projects; amounts whose determination of spending and fulfillment of related obligations can clarify a significant part of the dimensions of this case.
Domestic Manufacturing Contract; Imported Equipment from China
Another example is the Bushehr Petrochemical project. According to the information presented, a contract for the power section of this complex was concluded under the title "domestic manufacturing", but the equipment used was imported from China by Fateh Sanat and other companies owned by Fatemi and then assembled in a warehouse in Shiraz.
The important question is how a contract was concluded under the title of domestic manufacturing, but the main part of its equipment was supplied from abroad, and what was the financial difference between the actual cost of purchasing the equipment and the contract amount.
Zanjan Petrochemical is also another entity where Fatemi's name has been raised in connection with its projects, and alongside other cases, it can provide a broader picture of the network of contracts of companies associated with him in the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries.
Arrest of Managers; What About the Contractor?
The issue that has now become more important than ever is how the judiciary and security agencies deal with both sides of the disputed contracts. If the managers of a company are arrested on charges of corruption, collusion with contractors, or facilitating the conclusion and execution of illegal contracts, naturally, examining the role of the contractor on the other side of the same contract will be an inseparable part of the case.
Mohammad Ali Fatemi was previously arrested for a period, but the question is why, despite the numerous cases and the high volume of contracts associated with him, the outcome of these investigations has not been transparently announced.
The total value of projects and contracts in which Fatemi and companies associated with him are mentioned, according to existing estimates, may exceed 2 billion dollars. Of course, this figure does not mean the amount of proven violations, but rather the approximate value of the set of projects and contracts that require examination of potential violations.
The Pars Oil and Gas Company case can now be a serious test for security, oversight, and judicial agencies. Arresting managers without clarifying the role of the contractors involved cannot reveal all aspects of a potential corruption and collusion case.
Given the arrest of Touraj Dehghani and two other managers of Pars Oil and Gas Company, as well as the background of cases related to Mohammad Ali Fatemi, it is expected that the responsible agencies will clarify how Fatemi's contracts with this company were concluded and executed, under what authorization the discussed amendments were issued, how much money was paid, how much actual service was provided, and which individuals played a role in approving and paying the reports.
Answering these questions can clarify whether the Pars Oil and Gas case is merely limited to the violations of a few managers or if we are faced with a broader network of connections between managers and contractors in the oil and petrochemical industry.
