PARIS, October 21. /TASS/. Most probable candidates for the post of France’s oil giant Total CEO which became vacant after the death of company’s CEO Christophe de Margerie in the jet’s crash at the Moscow airport are two high-ranking managers of the corporation Philippe Boisseau and Patrick Pouyanne, expert for French oil industry Emmanuel Cugny said on France Info Radio.

“This is common practice in Total corporation to appoint the CEO from top managers of the company. In particular, this is caused by the need that all service secrets should not leak from the company. Most likely candidates for chief executive officer are two members of the Total executive board, including Philippe Boisseau who occupies the post of the Total president of marketing and services, top manager number two in the corporation hierarchy. The second hopeful for CEO is Patrick Pouyanne, incumbent president of refining and chemicals,” the French expert said.

Cugny recalled the issue of de Margerie’s successor was raised back at the time when he was alive. De Margerie refused to give any comments on announced candidates then.

Commenting on the jet’s crash at Moscow airport Vnukovo Cugny noted that from the 90s of the previous century France has “the rule that the top management of the corporation has never flown by one airplane and they always take different flights if necessary.” “This procedure is observed most strictly after an airplane carrying all chief executives of major food corporation Beghin-Say crashed in 1997, leaving the company almost without all top management and nearly making it go bankrupt,” Cugny said.

Overnight when Christophe de Margerie was reported dead in the jet’s crash the Total head office in Paris district La Defense urgently convened a crisis committee. After several hours of talks the committee has issued a communiquй confirming the death of the Total CEO. Total officials refrained from any comments.