I'd ask for a link but of course there is none. Any buyout by Total or anyone else is pure speculation and any claim that such a deal has already been done is pure fabrication.
The penny/share which was supposed to happen last April is still repeated. The secret offshore shorting ruse goes on and on with absolutely no proof. When erhc stopped reporting it was spun as a good thing that would lead to $8/share but the stock remained near zero and it resulted in trading suspension. New claims that the company going private will be a windfall are already being circulated. Yes, it is Offor's company and if he finally manages to take it private all the outsiders will be out their investment.
Your theory raises another wrinkle that would need to be addressed. IF Total were to offer to buy out the Company as so many here are hoping for, what if it doesn’t involve any cash whatsoever? Say they made an all shares exchange offer to all ERHC holders of record (i.e., so many shares of Total for so many shares of ERHC). If all sorts of unreported short shares exist THAT would certainly be interesting to watch get sorted out.
News 
Market Data 
Discover 
