corruption charges against oil majors Shell and
Eni over a $1.3 billion offshore block deal, AFP
reports.
The prosecution is being carried out by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC) who accused 11 defendants of “official
corruption”, according to court documents.
Shell, Eni and Agip, Eni’s Nigerian subsidiary,
are alleged to have corruptly given the
“aggregate sum of $801 million” to Nigerian
businessmen and politicians.
The report further stated that this is the latest
probe since the controversial 2011 oil deal that
exposed endemic corruption within the sector.
Italian prosecutors are also looking into the
purchase of the OPL 245 block prospecting
license. OPL 245 is located in deep offshore
waters in the Gulf of Guinea estimated to hold at
least 9 billion barrels of crude reserves.
The two oil majors involved in the corruption
saga have denied any wrongdoing.
“Eni did not do anything wrong,” said the chief
executive of Eni Claudio Descalzi to the Financial
Times in February.
“At every stage, we have acted in compliance with all
applicable law . . . Eni and Shell paid the government
of Nigeria, and were not involved with the government
decision on how to use such money.”
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