Italian Court Acquits Eni, Shell In Nigeria Bribery Trial

A Milan court on Wednesday cleared oil giant Eni and Royal Dutch Shell of corruption charges in what Italian media said was the biggest bribery case in the nation's history

ROME (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th March, 2021) A Milan court on Wednesday cleared oil giant Eni and Royal Dutch Shell of corruption charges in what Italian media said was the biggest bribery case in the nation's history.

Italian prosecutors sought up to 8 years in prison for 13 people, including Eni chief executive Claudio De Scalzi and his predecessor, Paolo Scaroni, according to La Repubblica daily.

The companies and their former and current senior managers were accused of paying bribes to secure an oil-rich offshore field in Nigeria in a 2011 deal with a firm owned by ex-Nigerian oil minister Dan Etete.

It cost Eni and Shell $1.3 billion to obtain a license for the OPL 245 oilfield. The money was transferred to a Nigerian government account in London, from which around $1 billion was siphoned off to corrupt Nigerian politicians, middlemen and entrepreneurs.