Investigation Against Us Has Been Closed In The U.S. - Eni
The Italian energy
group Eni is heaving a sigh of relief. According to Eni, the U.S. Justice
Department has closed its investigations into alleged corruption by its
subsidiary in Nigeria and Algeria.
In a related development,
Eni is currently on trial in Milan on graft allegations revolving round the
acquisition of a giant Nigerian oilfield in 2011.
In that case Eni
and peer Royal Dutch Shell are accused of buying the OPL 245 offshore field
for about 1.3 billion U.S. dollar in a deal that spawned one of the
industry’s largest graft scandals.
Milan prosecutors
allege that about 1.1 billion U.S. dollar of the total was siphoned off to
pay politicians, businessmen and middlemen.
Eni and Shell have
denied any wrongdoing.
“Today’s decision
by the DOJ confirms the findings of independent advisors, who conducted
investigations into the claims... which also found no illegal activity,” Eni
said.
It said it was
confident the allegations leveled at it by prosecutors in the Milan court
case would be found groundless.
Eni had also been
involved in a long-running corruption case involving its previously 43
percent-owned unit Saipem over alleged bribes in Algeria paid to win
contracts.
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