MILAN, Feb 19 (Reuters) - An Italian judge has ordered a
Nigerian businessman to stand trial for alleged international
corruption relating to a Nigeria oil graft case involving Eni
ENI.MI and Shell RDSa.L , a judicial source and his lawyer
said on Wednesday.
Milan prosecutors allege that Alhai Aliyu Abubakar played a
central role in one of the oil industry's biggest scandals in
years, handing out more than $500 million in cash to powerful
Nigerian government officials. The money is alleged to come out of the $1.3 billion licence
fee paid by Eni and Shell for access to the OPL-245 offshore
oilfield located in the southern Niger Delta.
Abubakar's Italian lawyer, Davide Pozzi, said his client,
who lives in Nigeria, denies any wrongdoing in the case.
"Mr Abubakar will clarify his position in the appropriate
place," he said.
Italian prosecutors allege that Eni and Shell bought the
oilfield in 2011 knowing that most of the purchase price would
be siphoned off to middlemen and local politicians.
Both firms and the managers accused in the Milan court case,
including Eni's current chief executive Claudio Descalzi, have
denied any wrongdoing. Abubakar, an influential Nigerian businessman, was already
under investigation but prosecutors were unable to locate him to
serve the necessary deeds to put him on trial until he appeared
in the case as a witness via a video linkup in February 2019.
The start of his trial has been scheduled for May 14 before
a Milan court, Pozzi said. However it is unclear whether he will
actually appear.
In the main part of the multi-strand case, prosecutors are
due to begin summing up and setting out sentencing requests for
Descalzi and other defendants beginning on March 25.