Libyan authorities were informed before French energy major Total closed a $450 million deal with Marathon Oil to take over the U.S. firm’s 16 percent share in the Waha concession, Total’s chief executive said on Thursday. Patrick Pouyanne told analysts during Total’s first-quarter earnings call that despite reports that the deal could hit a snag over Libyan displeasure, Libyan authorities raised no objections before it closed on March 31. “We informed Libyan authorities far in advance that the deal had been settled between Total and Marathon and we were intending to close it by the end of March,” Pouyanne said. “From a strictly legal point of view, neither in Libyan law nor in the oil concession agreement is there a request for a formal approval,” […]