North Africa Journal’s editor’s note: Although this case is on ENI’s alleged corruption case in Nigeria, ENI’s subsidiary Saipem has also been implicated in alleged wrongdoing in Algeria. Rome – AFP – Italian prosecutors said late Tuesday they are seeking an eight-year prison term against the head of oil company Eni, Claudio Descalzi, as part of a long-running corruption case implicating the Italian firm and its UK counterpart Shell in Nigeria. Italian investigators suspect the two oil groups used bribes to obtain rights in 2011 to a Nigerian offshore oil block estimated to hold nine billion barrels of crude, for $1.3 billion (1.1 billion euros). Prosecutors also requested an eight-year prison term for Paolo Scaroni, who was chief executive of Eni at the time, and a seven-year term for Malcolm Brinded who was then Shell’s head of exploration and production. Italian prosecutors are also seeking a 10-year term for Nigeria’s energy minister at the time, Dan Etete, as well as the recovery of the $1.1 billion.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 23, 2020 15:56 UTC