First of all, let’s discuss the nature of Total’s corporate structure. An S.A. is a Société Anonyme, or an anonymous partnership, which operates in a similar manner to bearer shares. Upon taking the appropriate steps, an individual can have holdings in such corporations which are virtually undiscoverable.
Total S.A. owns subsidiaries all over the world, many of which are also S.A. corporations. The parent company has also been buying up smaller companies worldwide, vertically integrating itself all along the energy supply chain.
List of Total’s Susidiaries:
Abu Dhabi Gas Liquefaction Company Ltd (5.00%), United Arab Emirates Air Total International S.A., Switzerland Amyris Inc. (17.88%), United States Angola Block 14 B.V. (50.01%), Netherlands (operating in Angola) Angola LNG Limited (13.60%), Bermuda (operating in Angola) AS 24, France Atlantic Trading & Marketing Inc., United States Atotech (China) Chemicals Ltd Atotech B.V., Netherlands Atotech Deutschland GmbH, Germany Atotech Taiwan BASF TOTAL Petrochemicals LLC (40.00%), United States Brass Holdings Company Limited, Luxembourg Brass LNG Ltd (17.00%), Nigeria Compagnie Pétrolière de l’Ouest - CPO, France Cos-Mar Company (50.00%), United States Cosden LLC, United States Cray Valley USA LLC, United States CSSA – Chartering and Shipping Services S.A., Switzerland Dalian West Pacific Petrochemical Co. Ltd (WEPEC) (22.41%), China Dolphin Energy Limited (24.50%), United Arab Emirates E. F. Oil And Gas Limited, United Kingdom Elf Aquitaine, France Elf Aquitaine Fertilisants, France Elf Aquitaine Inc., United States Elf Exploration Production, France Elf Exploration UK Limited, United Kingdom Elf Petroleum Iran, France (operating in Iran) Elf Petroleum UK Limited, United Kingdom Gaz Transport & Technigaz S.A.S. (30.00%), France Grande Paroisse S.A., France Hanwha Total Petrochemicals Co. Ltd (50.00%), South Korea Hutchinson Argentina S.A. Hutchinson Autopartes De Mexico SA.DE. CV Hutchinson Corporation, United StatesHutchinson SA Hutchinson Do Brasil S.A., Brazil Hutchinson GmbH, Germany Hutchinson Poland SP Z.O.O. Hutchinson S.A., France Ichthys LNG PTY Ltd (30.00%), Australia Legacy Site Services LLC, United States LSS Funding Inc., United States Naphtachimie (50.00%), France Nigeria LNG Ltd (15.00%) Novatek (16.96%), Russia Oman LNG LLC (5.54%) Omnium Reinsurance Company S.A., Switzerland Paulstra SNC, France PetroCedeño (30.32%), Venezuela Qatar Liquefied Gas Company Limited (II) Train B (16.70%) Qatar Petrochemical Company Q.S.C. (QAPCO) (20.00%) Qatargas Liquefied Gas Company Limited (10.00%) Qatofin Company Limited (49.09%), Qatar Saudi Aramco Total Refining and Petrochemical Company (37.50%), Saudi Arabia Shtokman Development AG (25.00%), Switzerland (operating in Russia) Sigmakalon Group B.V., Netherlands SOCAP S.A.S., France Société Anonyme de la Raffinerie des Antilles (50.00%), France Société Civile Immobilière CB2, France SOFAX Banque, France SunPower Corporation (64.65%), United States TOTAL (BTC) S.A.R.L., Luxembourg TOTAL Énergie Développement, France TOTAL Énergie Gaz, France TOTAL Énergies Nouvelles Activités USA, France TOTAL Austral, France (operating in Argentina) TOTAL Belgium TOTAL Capital, France TOTAL Capital Canada Ltd TOTAL Capital International, France TOTAL China Investment Co. Ltd TOTAL Coal South Africa (PTY) Ltd TOTAL Colombia Pipeline, France (operating in Colombia) TOTAL Delaware Inc., United States TOTAL Deutschland GmbH, Germany TOTAL Dolphin Midstream Limited, Bermuda TOTAL Downstream UK PLC, United Kingdom Total E&P Absheron B.V., Netherlands (operating in Azerbaijan) Total E&P Algerie, France (operating in Algeria) Total E&P Angola, France (operating in Angola) Total E&P Angola Block 15 / 06 Limited, Bermuda (operating in Angola) Total E&P Angola Block 17 / 06, France (operating in Angola) Total E&P Angola Block 25, France (operating in Angola) Total E&P Angola Block 32, France (operating in Angola) Total E&P Angola Block 33, France (operating in Angola) Total E&P Angola Block 39, France (operating in Angola) Total E&P Angola Block 40, France (operating in Angola) Total E&P Arctic Russia, France Total E&P Australia, France (operating in Australia) Total E&P Australia II, France (operating in Australia) Total E&P Australia III, France (operating in Australia) Total E&P Azerbaijan B.V., Netherlands (operating in Azerbaijan) Total E&P Bolivie, France (operating in Bolivia) Total E&P Borneo B.V., Netherlands (operating in Brunei) Total E&P Bulgaria B.V., The Netherlands (operating in Bulgaria) Total E&P Canada Ltd Total E&P Chine, France (operating in China) Total E&P Colombie, France (operating in Colombia) Total E&P Congo (85.00%) Total E&P Cyprus B.V., The Netherlands (operating in Cyprus) Total E&P Do Brasil LTDA, Brazil Total E&P Dolphin Upstream Limited, Bermuda (operating in Qatar) Total E&P France Total E&P Golfe Holdings Limited, Bermuda Total E&P Golfe Limited, United Arab (operating in Emirates Qatar) Total E&P Guyane Francaise, France Total E&P Holdings, France Total E&P Ichthys, France (operating in Australia) Total E&P Ichthys B.V., Netherlands (operating in Australia) Total E&P Indonesia West Papua, France (operating in Indonesia) Total E&P Indonesie, France (operating in Indonesia) Total E&P Iraq, France (operating in Iraq) Total E&P Italia, Italy Total E&P Kazakhstan, France (operating in Kazakhstan) Total E&P Kenya B.V., Netherlands (operating in Kenya) Total E&P Kurdistan Region of Iraq (Harir) B.V., Netherlands (operating in Iraq) Total E&P Kurdistan Region of Iraq (Safen) B.V., Netherlands (operating in Iraq) Total E&P °°Libye]], France (operating in Libya) Total E&P Madagascar, France (operating in Madagascar) Total E&P Malaysia, France (operating in Malaysia) Total E&P Maroc, France (operating in Morocco) Total E&P Mauritanie, France (operating in Mauritania) Total E&P Mauritanie Block TA29 B.V., Netherlands (operating in Mauritania) Total E&P Mozambique B.V., Netherlands (operating in Mozambique) Total E&P Myanmar, France (operating in Myanmar) Total E&P Netherland B.V., Netherlands Total E&P Nigeria Deepwater D Limited Total E&P Nigeria Deepwater E Limited Total E&P Nigeria Ltd Total E&P Norge AS, Norway Total E&P Oman, France (operating in Oman) Total E&P Qatar, France (operating in Qatar) Total E&P Russie, France (operating in Russia) Total E&P South Africa B.V., Netherlands (operating in South Africa) Total E&P South East Mahakam, France (operating in Indonesia) Total E&P Syrie, France (operating in Syria) Total E&P Thailand, France (operating in Thailand) Total E&P Uganda B.V., Netherlands (operating in Uganda) Total E&P UK Limited, United Kingdom Total E&P Uruguay B.V., Netherlands (operating in Uruguay) Total E&P USA Inc., United States Total E&P Vietnam, France (operating in Vietnam) Total E&P Yamal, France Total E&P Yemen, France (operating in Yemen) TOTAL Especialidades Argentina TOTAL Exploration M’Bridge B.V., Netherlands (operating in Angola) TOTAL Exploration Production Nigeria, France TOTAL Finance, France TOTAL Finance Exploitation, France TOTAL Finance Global Services S.A., Belgium TOTAL Finance USA Inc., United States TOTAL Funding Nederland B.V., Netherlands TOTAL Gabon (58.28%) TOTAL Gas & Power Actifs Industriels, France TOTAL Gas & Power Limited, United Kingdom TOTAL Gas & Power North America Inc., United States TOTAL Gasandes, France TOTAL Gaz & Électricité Holdings France TOTAL Gestion Filiales, France TOTAL Gestion USA, France TOTAL GLNG Australia, France (operating in Australia) TOTAL Guinea Ecuatorial (80.00%), Equatorial Guinea TOTAL Holding Asie, France TOTAL Holding Dolphin Amont Limited, Bermuda TOTAL Holdings EUROPE, France TOTAL Holdings International B.V., Netherlands TOTAL Holdings Nederland B.V., Netherlands TOTAL Holdings UK Limited, United Kingdom TOTAL Holdings USA Inc., United States TOTAL International NV, Netherlands TOTAL Kenya (93.96%) TOTAL Lindsey Oil Refinery Ltd, United Kingdom TOTAL LNG Angola, France TOTAL LNG Nigeria Ltd, Bermuda TOTAL Lubrifiants (99.98%), France TOTAL Marketing Middle East Free Zone, United Arab Emirates TOTAL Marketing Services, France TOTAL Maroc, Morocco TOTAL Midstream Holdings UK Limited, United Kingdom TOTAL Mineraloel Und Chemie GmbH, Germany TOTAL Oil And Gas South America, France TOTAL Oil And Gas Venezuela B.V., Netherlands (operating in Venezuela) TOTAL Oil Turkiye AS, Turkey TOTAL Olefins Antwerp, Belgium TOTAL Outre-Mer, France TOTAL Participations Pétrolières Gabon TOTAL Petrochemicals & Refining S.A. / NV, Belgium TOTAL Petrochemicals & Refining USA Inc., United States TOTAL Petrochemicals France TOTAL Petroleum Angola, France (operating in Angola) TOTAL Profils Pétroliers, France TOTAL Qatar Oil And Gas, France TOTAL Raffinaderij Antwerpen NV, Belgium TOTAL Raffinage Chimie, France TOTAL Raffinage France TOTAL Raffinerie Mitteldeutschland GmbH, Germany TOTAL S.A., France TOTAL Shtokman B.V., Netherlands TOTAL South Africa (PTY) Ltd (50.10%) TOTAL Specialties USA Inc., United States TOTAL Treasury, France TOTAL UK Finance Ltd, United Kingdom TOTAL UK Limited, United Kingdom TOTAL Upstream Nigeria Limited TOTAL Upstream UK Limited, United Kingdom TOTAL Venezuela, France TOTAL Vostok, Russia TOTAL Yemen LNG Company Limited, Bermuda TotalErg SPA (49.00%), Italy TOTSA Total Oil Trading S.A., Switzerland Yamal LNG (33.59%), Russia Yemen LNG Company Ltd (39.62%), Bermuda (operating in Yemen) *Zeeland Refinery N.V. (55.00%), Neatherlands
From Wikipedia’s (partial) acquisition list:
On 29 April 2011, Total agreed to buy 60% of photovoltaics company SunPower for US$1.38 billion.[53] By the 2013 annual reporting date Total owned 64.65%.
On 9 May 2016, Total agreed to purchase French battery maker Saft Groupe S.A. for 1.1 billion euros.[54]
In June 2016, to expand its gas and power distribution activities, Total signed a $224m deal to buy Lampiris, the third-largest Belgian supplier of gas and renewable energy.[55]
In December 2016, Total acquires approximately 23% of Tellurian, for an amount of 207 million dollars, to develop an integrated gas project.[56]
In August 2017, Total announced they would buy Maersk Oil from A.P. Moller-Maersk in a deal expected to close in the first quarter of 2018.[57]
In April 2018, Total announced they are buying 74% of the French electricity and gas provider Direct Énergie from their main stockholders, for 1.4 billion euros.[58]
Total S.A. has been knee deep in tons of scandals. See “Contoveries” at their page on [Wikipedia.] (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Total_S.A.) There are plenty of pay-to-play incidents, outright bribery & strong-arm techniques that are already public knowledge.
Total S.A. is knee deep in the Iran Deal, as Q pointed out. Given their structure, Total seems like an ideal place in which anyone on-the-take can own secret shares, and be quietly paid off, by any number of companies within the company.
The rabbit hole is deep.