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Italian court throws out witness request in Eni Nigeria graft case

Published 05/02/2020, 16:36
Updated 05/02/2020, 16:46
© Reuters.  Italian court throws out witness request in Eni Nigeria graft case
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MILAN, Feb 5 (Reuters) - A Milan court has rejected a

prosecution request to hear testimony from a former legal

adviser of Eni who has accused the company of spying on judges,

offering a boost to the Italian oil firm as it fights bribery

allegations over a Nigerian oil field.

The ruling removes the prospect of months of testimony

voicing allegations of wrongdoing by Eni and sets a timetable

for finally reaching a verdict in the long-running case.

The decision is the second piece of bad news in a few days

for Milan prosecutors after a witness last week refused to

confirm a key statement. In one of the oil industry's biggest ever scandals, Italian

prosecutors allege Eni ENI.MI and Shell RDSa.L bought a

Nigeria oilfield in 2011 knowing most of the $1.3 billion

purchase price would go to agents and middlemen in bribes.

Eni and Shell have both denied any wrongdoing.

In a separate investigation, prosecutors allege Eni

officials sought to obstruct justice by discrediting key

prosecution witnesses in the main trial. In that case, Piero Amara, a former legal adviser to Eni,

alleged company officials ordered information to be gathered on

prosecutors, board members and journalists to undermine them and

distract attention away from the main case.

Eni has categorically denied ever having set up any kind of

information-gathering operations and considers itself a victim

if any crime of obstruction were shown to have been committed.

Judges on Wednesday turned down a request by prosecutors to

call Amara as witness in the main OPL-245 trial on the grounds

such a move would not have any decisive effect on the trial.

The judges set a series of dates, starting on March 25, for

the prosecution to sum up its case and lay out its sentencing

requests for those involved.

Eni and Shell are being tried in Milan along with some of

their managers, including Eni Chief Executive Claudio Descalzi.

The managers have also denied wrongdoing.

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