On the morning of 21 September 2001 an explosion occurred in Shed 221 of the AZF Grande Paroisse plant in Toulouse. The shed contained about 300 metric tons of ammonium nitrate awaiting shipment to plants manufacturing fertilizers. The explosion left a crater dozens of metres across where the pile of ammonium nitrate had been. The explosion was heard up to 40 km from Toulouse, and the shock wave was recorded at 3.4 on the Richter scale. The explosion caused the death of 30 people, including 21 plant employees. More than 4,500 people in the area were injured and 27,000 buildings of various types in the surrounding area were damaged. None of the inquiries held so far has determined the exact cause of the explosion.

22 September 2001: TOTAL S.A. sets up a fund of several million euros for emergency relief and assistance to victims. 24 September 2001: The Public Prosecutor announces that: “we are 99% certain that the explosion was an industrial accident”. 11 January 2002: The Public Prosecutor in Toulouse declares that: “There is no longer any reason at all to suspect a terrorist attack or any malicious act. Everything points to an accident” June 2002: 19 people employed by Grande Paroisse or contractors working at the site are taken into custody. 13 of them are placed under judicial investigation (11 Grande Paroisse and 2 contractor employees). All have now been exonerated except the former General Manager of the plant.

15 June 2002: 1st report on investigation progress released by the experts, suggesting the cause was the accidental mixing of chlorine and nitrates. 9 & 11 October 2002: Re-enactments of events prior to the explosion are carried out in the presence of the experts, the police and lawyers. They fail to show how 500 kg of chlorine could have come into contact with the pile of ammonium nitrate in Shed September 2003: Nine of the 11 Grande Paroisse employees and one of the contractor employees under investigation are exonerated. Two other people are exonerated later. 3 August 2004: 2nd report on investigation progress released by the experts, still suggesting the same cause: accidental contact with chlorine.

11 May 2006: Final report released by the experts: they still maintain the accident was caused by contact with chlorine derivatives but specify only a few kilos of NaDCC instead of 500 kilos. 31 May 2006: Grande Paroisse is placed under formal investigation. 20 September 2006: The judicial investigation is closed. 15 June 2007: Closing statement by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. 13 July 2007: Shortly before his appointment to the Monaco Court of Appeal, the investigating magistrate Thierry Perriquet orders the case to go to trial: proceedings against Grande Paroisse and the former plant General Manager Serge Biechlin are referred to the Toulouse Magistrate’s Court. 18 September 2008: An association among the civil parties requests the court to summons TOTAL S.A. (as a legal person) and Thierry Desmarest (as Chairman and CEO at the time of the explosion). This request will be heard by the court at the proceedings starting on 23 February 2009.