Maysan refinery: the USD 6 billion deal with Swiss-registered Satarem and Parliament's request for an inquiry into a 'fictitious company' (from 2013 to 2014)
On 12 October 2013 Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's office announced that Iraq had signed a USD 6 billion deal with Satarem, a company registered in Switzerland, to build and run a 150,000 barrel a day refinery near Amara in Maysan province under a 50-year build, own and operate contract. An Iraqi academic living in Switzerland then said his checks showed the company existed in name only. On 20 December 2013 the Ministry of Oil said the document was a memorandum of understanding, not a contract, and that Satarem's offer was being considered after earlier offers for the refinery had failed. On 21 December 2013 Bahaa al-Araji, chair of Parliament's Integrity Committee, asked the Speaker to form an inquiry committee into the ministry's dealings with what he called a fictitious foreign company, and the oil and energy committee planned a meeting with ministry officials. In January 2014 a parliamentary committee asked the Integrity Commission to investigate the contract. No finding by Parliament or the commission is on record.
- Period
- From October 2013 to January 2014
- Sector
- Oil and gasRefinery investment contract (build, own and operate)
- Kind of case
- Parliamentary inquiry
- Jurisdiction
- Federal Iraq
How the money moved, according to the sources
Award of a large build, own and operate refinery deal to a company with no known record in refining, as alleged by Parliament's Integrity Committee; the ministry described the document as a memorandum of understanding.
What happened
No published finding by Parliament or the Integrity Commission is on record.
Open questions
- Whether a contract was signed, cancelled or transferred, and on what terms.
- Outcome of the Integrity Commission investigation requested in January 2014.
People and companies
| Name | Role in the case | Legal status | Detail | As of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Satarem ساتارم | Swiss-registered company announced as investor in the Maysan refinery (2013) | Accused by an official body | Not charged as of the date of writing. Described by the chair of Parliament's Integrity Committee as a fictitious foreign company (December 2013); a parliamentary committee asked the Integrity Commission to investigate the contract (January 2014). No finding is on record. | 19 October 2026 |
| Nouri al-Maliki نوري المالكي | Prime Minister (2013) | Not charged as of the date of writing | Not charged as of the date of writing. Named as the Prime Minister whose office announced the Satarem refinery deal in October 2013. | 19 October 2026 |
| Jérôme Friler جيروم فريلر | Co-founder of Satarem (company profile quoted by Iraq Business News) | Not charged as of the date of writing | Not charged as of the date of writing. Named only as a co-founder of Satarem in the company description published at the time of the deal. | 19 October 2026 |
| Adolf Wong أدولف وونغ | Co-founder of Satarem (company profile quoted by Iraq Business News) | Not charged as of the date of writing | Not charged as of the date of writing. Named only as a co-founder of Satarem in the company description published at the time of the deal. | 19 October 2026 |
Sources
- Iraq Business News20 December 2013Government statementTier B
Min. of Oil Statement on Maysan Refinery
Original addressCommenting about the news that was declared by the media, press & some websites about the memorandum of understanding "not the contract as the media said" between SATAREM Company and the ministry of oil to invest in Maysan refinery
- Al-Iraq News (aliraqnews.com)21 December 2013Official statement reported by the mediaTier B
النزاهة النيابية: تشكيل لجنة تحقيقية عن تعاقد وزارة النفط مع شركة وهمية لتشغيل مصفى ميسان
Original addressطالبت لجنة النزاهة النيابية رئاسة مجلس النواب بتشكيل لجنة تحقيقية عن تعاقد وزارة النفط مع شركة اجنبية وهمية لتشغيل مصفى ميسان
- Iraq Business News12 October 2013Press reportTier D
Swiss Firm to Build $6bn Refinery
Original addressPrime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says Iraq has signed a $6 billion deal with Swiss company Satarem to build and run southern Iraq's first new, large-scale refinery in 30 years.
- Iraq Business News7 January 2014Press reportTier D
$6b Refinery Deal to be Investigated
Original addressAn Iraqi parliamentary committee has asked the Commission of Integrity to investigate the contract awarded to Satarem to build a $6-billion refinery in Maysan.