OPL 245: Italy court acquits Eni, Shell others in Nigeria Graft Case

A Milan court has acquitted energy groups Eni and Shell along with a series of past and present managers including Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi in the oil industry’s biggest corruption scandal.

The sentence, read out in court by Judge Marco Tremolada, comes more than three years after the trial first began and after a total of 74 hearings.

Since the Italian court has acquitted the two major oil giants, it is not clear if other pending court cases including that of Nigeria will follow the same way.

However, the judgement has vindicated the multinational oil companies accused of corruption and it also a respite for them following a lingering court case.

In a press release, the Eni stated that in relation to the Nigeria-OPL 245 trial, Eni welcomes today’s judgment of full acquittal of all charges, since there was no case, by the Court of Milan.

After almost three years of trial, the judgment by the Court has finally established that the company, the CEO Claudio Descalzi and the management involved in the proceedings have all behaved in a lawful and correct manner.

Eni has throughout maintained its full confidence in the Court’s fair and balanced investigation. “Today, Eni expresses its gratitude for the trust placed by its stakeholders throughout the course of the trial, particularly in upholding the company’s management and the conduct of its business, and respecting its reputation.”