http://www.north-africa.com/ ©2007 Spoonlabs d.o.o. Vivvo CMS 4.0 2012-05-22T16:02:01-06:00 http://www.north-africa.com/social_polics/security_politics/1junethree45.html 2010-06-03T02:54:00-06:00 2010-06-03T02:54:00-06:00 Arezki Daoud For many, the change in leadership in Algeria's oil bureaucracy was long overdue. Political pundits have been expecting the sacking of energy minister Chekib Khelil since early 2009 when Abdelaziz Bouteflika renewed his mandate for President for a third term. For others, while expecting Khelil to get somewhat hit by the political tsunami generated by the corruption scandal that has rocked oil giant Sonatrach, they saw him as "the only international statesman Algeria had" due to his dense connections with Western decision makers in governments and businesses. This scandal, which has cost the job of the then Sonatrach CEO, Mohamed Meziane, and forced a substantial reshuffle of the company's executive management, ultimately brought down the powerful minister himself. At the end though, not too many were surprised as changes were expected a while ago. Some observers note that while the sacking of Khelil is analyzed as a bad outcome for the powerful Minister, his exit could indeed be interpreted as a blessing in disguise. Khelil's timely exit means that he will likely remain unaccountable for his questionable contribution in managing Algeria's assets and finances, amid scandals affecting the energy sector.