Elf Aquitaine
 Elf Aquitaine  (Corporation)    | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Formation | 1966 |
| Founder |  Charles de Gaulle |
| Extinction | 2000 |
| Headquarters | Paris,  France |
| Leaders | • Elf Aquitaine/CEO • Elf Aquitaine/Director |
| Interests | DGSS, Françafrique |
| Subpage | •Elf Aquitaine/CEO |
| Elf was a centerpiece of French neocolonial practices in Africa: influence peddling, corruption, violence, political manipulation, etc. | |
Elf Aquitaine is a former petroleum company which merged with TotalFina in year 2000 to form TotalFinaElf, after its activities received to much attention. The new company changed its name to Total in 2003 and TotalEnergies as of 2021. Elf has only been maintained as a brand of motor oil since then.
History
Elf was the result of the political will on the part of President de Gaulle[1], and was intended to ensure the position of France in Africa despite decolonization, and to maintain French access to the strategic resource oil.
Elf was a company controlled mainly by the state (it remained so until its takeover-merger by Total-Fina in 2000), and de Gaulle appointed his former Minister of the Armies Pierre Guillaumat, who was one of the founders of the intelligence agency Direction générale des services spéciaux (DGSS) as the company's head[2]. This contributed to making the company a deep state force. In the words of one of his successors: "nothing is happening in the oil-producing countries, in particular in Africa, whose origin is not not Elf".[3]
Elf was considered central to French neocolonial practices in Africa: influence peddling, corruption, violence, political manipulation, etc.[4]
The Elf Affair in 1994 partly unveiled this aspect of the oil company. A book by magistrate Eva Joly[5], who investigated the case, told the story.
Directors
- Pierre Guillaumat : 1966-1977
- Albin Chalandon : 1977-1983
- Michel Pecqueur : 1983-1989
- Loïk Le Floch-Prigent : 1989-1993
- Philippe Jaffré : 1993-1999
References
- ↑ François-Xavier Verschave, La Françafrique, Le plus long scandale de la république, Stock, 1998, p.139.
- ↑ Hervé Gattegno, « L’étrange interpénétration des services d’Elf et de la France », Le Monde, 28 septembre 1997.
- ↑ La «confession » de Loïc Le Floch-Prigent, in l’Express du 12 décembre 1996.
- ↑ https://www.monde-diplomatique.fr/2018/08/DENEAULT/58987 or http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.monde-diplomatique.fr%2F2018%2F08%2FDENEAULT%2F58987
- ↑ Eva Joly, Est-ce dans ce monde-là que nous voulons vivre ? Les Arènes, 2003.
