A company led by the former deputy prime minister of Qatar is in talks to acquire a majority stake in Bankers Petroleum. Thirty Five Group is owned and run by Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah, a member of the Qatari royal family who has held the post of former deputy prime minister and was a former minister of foreign affairs and defense of Qatar.
Capital has learned that the parties are in advanced negotiations. But the signing of the final agreement has not yet been finalized because the Chinese must agree to pay off the obligations arising from the arbitration and the government will have to accept the extension of the concession that ends in 2029.
According to the talks, Al Attiyah will take over the majority stake in Bankers and with it the company's decision-making, while the Chinese will retain the technical part, but may also ultimately leave the company.
The talks for the sale of Bankers Petroleum come after arrests at the highest levels of the Chinese company's management. The Fier Prosecutor's Office arrested the company's executive director, Hongping Xiao, and former Albanian director Leonidha Çobo, accusing them of fraud and tax evasion.
Meanwhile, following these developments, Prime Minister Edi Rama declared that the prosecution should bring the black water out of Bankers, a company where, according to him, there have been many problems.
"I am grateful that the day has come for the prosecution to investigate independently, and in this case, I take my hat off to the person who conducted this investigation and I hope they can bring the black water out of that enterprise," Rama declared after the arrests.
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