http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26543458

Been following that. Two things are apparent:

1. The business which Gasol tried to acquire was apparently larger than Gasol’s own, and Gasol would have ended up, essentially, being controlled by the other business.

2. Apparently there were legitimate pre-emptive rights. But we do not know what considerations were made by the parties which exercised the pre-emptive rights for doing so. Could it be that they just wanted to prevent whoever is in control of Gasol from laying their hands on the relevant assets, or to stay away from the Ivory Coast? Maybe they have seen through the ownership of Gasol more than we have.

The attempt by Gasol to purchase a company (Enerci) in the Ivory Coast has failed.

http://www.gasolplc.com/media/18999/pre-emption_of_the_acquisition_of_enerci.pdf

‘…Other investigations have uncovered similar structures in other industries. Panamanian records list Leyla and Arzu Aliyeva as top executives on the registries of three holding companies: Hughson Management, Grinnell Management, and Gladwin Management. Hughson reportedly owns a 51 percent stake in ATA Holdings, one of Azerbaijan’s largest conglomerates, with units in the financial services, insurance, and construction industries. Moreover, Hughson, Grinnell, and Gladwin each own 24 percent stakes in Azerfon, a major Azerbaijani telecommunications company with nearly 1.7 million mobile subscribers. Azerbaijan’s Communications Ministry has repeatedly claimed that Azerfon is owned by Siemens, though the German company denies ever owning shares. Arzu also owns a large stake in SW Holdings, an airline industry monopoly that was formed through the privatization of the state airline AZAL..’

Are we sure Siemens is even involved in the consortium?

On 20 December 2012, Gasol plc signed a “Strategic Alliance” with Socar Trading for LNG gas and for “a storage and regasification vessel” in connection with Gasol’s business in West Africa. Whatever Gasol is doing in West Africa (I have some doubts about what they say), the strategic meaning of their agreement with Socar Trading is such that Gasol’s future in terms of its declared strategy for West Africa is almost entirely dependent on Socar Trading. This implies that Socar Trading holds an important grip on Gasol plc.

http://www.gasolplc.com/media/17404/strategic_alliance_with_socar.pdf

We still do not know who is behind the main shareholders and other draw-down facilities of Gasol plc. The secretive ownership can only lead to the usual suspects.

http://www.azembassy.it/?p=3216
La serata si è conclusa con una cena privata, organizzata da parte della First Lady di Malta, la consorte del Primo Ministro, Sig.ra Michelle Muscat, per Leyla Aliyeva.

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/09/04/corruptistan?page=full