The Law Firm of Salah Al-Hejailan in association with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Senior Attorney

Riccardo is one of the senior Western lawyers of The Law Firm of Salah Al-Hejailan LLC and is based in our head office in Riyadh.

Riccardo is an Italian, a former partner of the law firm BonelliErede, Cairo, Egypt, and specializes in banking and finance, construction and engineering infrastructure, energy and ecological transition.

Among his other expertise are:

Risk assessments for foreign investors in developing infrastructure and energy projects in North Africa (Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria) and other African countries (Kenia and Ethiopia). Banking and finance (export and project finance and corporate finance), project contracts (EPC, O&M and service agreements) and advice on general corporate matters (MoU, JV, investment agreement).

Riccardo’s experience includes advising:

clients on all aspects and negotiated and drafted the project and finance documentation and ancillary documentation (security documents, guarantees, insurance documentation, credit documentary documents, and bonds). clients in several corporate finance transactions (acquisition/leverage/takeover/LBO deals and commodity finance) and supporting the firm’s corporate team with financing matters connected to M&A transactions. Project Wright / Ital Gas Storage: First-ever project financing to develop an Italian gas-storage site – it won the award IJGlobal Awards “European Midstream Oil & Gas” (2016). Etrion S.p.A.: Refinancing of the entire debt of its subsidiaries across Italy through financing and a bond issue on a project finance basis. 3Sun Project: First-ever project financing of an Italian factory that produces photovoltaic cells.

Riccardo is also author of a number of published works and articles:

“Overcoming bankability issues to make renewable energy feasible in Ethiopia” Article / interview: “Power surge: Why Egypt's renewable energy sector needs corporate PPAs” Article: “Investing in renewables energy in Ethiopia” Position paper: “Addressing financial risks of renewable energy investment in East Africa (Ethiopia and Kenya)” Article: “Elettrificazione delle aree rurali – Soluzioni Off-grid da fonti rinnovabili, problemi di bancabilità” Article: “Will Egypt's floating currency attract investment and support exports?”

Italian, Spanish and English

Member, Milan Bar

LLM, American University Washington College of Law

Washington, DC, 1999