The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) would be taking no action against Eni, as it shelved investigations into corruption allegations against the Italian Oil major in the purchase of a Nigerian oil field in 2011.
The DOJ also closed a graft case in Algeria against the oil company in a similar fashion. An Italian court had in 2018 acquitted the energy major and ex-CEO Paolo Scaroni of bribery in the same case.
Eni said the decision by the DOJ “confirms the findings of independent advisors, who conducted investigations into the claims following the decision taken by Eni’s controlling bodies, which also found no illegal activity”.
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The Italian company expressed confidence that allegations currently put forward before the Court of Milan, where it is facing trial for a Nigerian oil deal, would be found to be groundless.
The Malabu corruption case is almost a decade old and began in 2011 when Eni and Royal Dutch Shell reportedly paid $1.3 billion into the coffers of the Nigerian government for an offshore oilfield license.
The oilfield called OPL245 was said to have been worth $3 billion but most of the payments made by Shell and Eni ended up in Malabu Oil and Gas, controlled by Dan Etete, then oil minister of Nigeria.
Both companies have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
(Details shortly)
