Days after BP was exposed for their part in the death of 15 workers in a terrible explosion, French oil giant Total is now having to answer to the police for their alleged involvement in bribery for oil drilling in Iran, violations in the food-for-oil scandal and other questionable business activities.
It was suspected that nearly 100 million Swiss francs (60 million euros, 80 million dollars), traced through two accounts in Switzerland, might have been paid illegally by Total to win the contract, a source close to the matter said.
Swiss authorities had frozen 9.5 million euros of this.
The source said that judicial police from the financial crime unit would also question two former executives.
The Total spokesman acknowledged that the three executives in office faced questioning "in connection with a judicial enquiry" opened in December 2006 concerning "a South Pars industrial project in Iran, signed by Total in 1997 with the Iranian national oil company NIOC."
Total was "completely behind its executives and confirms that the agreements signed respected the law," the spokesman added.
The source close to the matter said that Margerie, promoted to head Total only five weeks ago but responsible for Middle East operations at the time, faced questioning over suspicions that from 1996 to 2003 Total might have made illegal payments to win the contract.
