Contradicted
A reliable and applicable record states the opposite.
The proposition that Eni and Shell were proven to have paid bribes to Nigerian politicians through the US$1.1 billion OPL 245 payment, as alleged by the Milan prosecutor and summarised by Global Witness in March 2021.
was used to pay bribes to Nigerian politicians
- About
- Eni S.p.A.
- Claim made by
- Global Witness, press report
- Published
- 17 March 2021
- Evidence score
- 82 How it was scored
- Last reviewed
- 25 October 2026
Why this label
The bribery account was the Milan prosecutor's case, as Global Witness reported itS4. It was never established in court. The Milan court acquitted Shell, Eni and their current and former executives in March 2021S3. Eni says the prosecutors then dropped their appeal and the acquittals became full and final in July 2022S1, and Reuters-sourced reports confirm the prosecutors dropped the appeal and the acquittal was finalisedS2S9. A final acquittal is the opposite of a proven charge. To keep the point exact, the acquittal means the court did not find the corruption charges proven. It is not a finding on every fact about where the money went. We did not read the written reasons of the Milan court.
Current procedural position
Acquittal of Eni, Shell and the executives on 17 March 2021S3. Prosecutors' appeal dropped and acquittal final as of 19 July 2022S1S2S9.
Record supporting the assessment
Royal Dutch Shell, Italian energy giant Eni and their former and current oil executives
dropped criminal proceedings over a $1.3 billion Nigerian oilfield deal
finalising the acquittal
Conflicting or limiting record
was used to pay bribes to Nigerian politicians
Evidence score: 82 of 100
The score grades how well the record establishes this assessment. It is not a score of Eni S.p.A.. Score = source authority + directness + corroboration + procedural accuracy + currency + reproducibility.
| Component | Points | Max | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source authorityIs the source competent to establish the proposition? | 22 | 30 | The acquittal is known from press and company records, not from the judgment text we read. |
| DirectnessDoes the source state the proposition or only discuss adjacent facts? | 17 | 20 | The records state the acquittal and its finality in plain terms. |
| CorroborationDo independent records support the same material point? | 12 | 15 | Two Reuters-sourced reports and the company statement agree on the acquittal and the dropped appeal. |
| Procedural accuracyDoes the record settle the procedural state the claim describes? | 15 | 15 | A final acquittal is a settled procedural state. |
| CurrencyHas the record been checked against later developments? | 8 | 10 | We found no later record reopening the Milan criminal case. |
| ReproducibilityCan a reader locate the passage and repeat the assessment? | 8 | 10 | The pages are public, though the court ruling itself was not read. |
| Total | 82 | 100 |
Timeline
Related cases
- Milan Public Prosecutor v Eni S.p.A., Royal Dutch Shell plc and othersTribunal of Milan. Criminal. Not published on the pages we read.Stage: Final acquittal
Responses
- Eni, 19 July 2022: Eni called the case unmotivated and disconcerting and cited years of costly proceedings.S1
Revision history
- Assessment first published with label Contradicted.
Have a record that changes this assessment? See corrections and responses.
Sources
- S3Tier C Shell, Eni Acquitted in Massive Corruption TrialCourthouse News Service (Cain Burdeau). Press report. March 2021.Reports the Milan acquittal on a Wednesday and the September 2018 sentences of two intermediaries. The page shows no date. It does not give the court's reasons.Link working, checked 25 October 2026
- S2Tier C Italy prosecutors abandon $1.3 billion Eni Nigeria graft appealThe African Mirror (Emilio Parodi, citing Reuters). Press report. 20 July 2022.Reuters-sourced report that prosecutors dropped the criminal appeal, which makes the acquittals final, and that Nigeria's civil claim continued. It does not cover the two intermediaries. It replaces an undated Energy Voice page with no headline shown.Link working, checked 25 October 2026
- S9Tier C Italy Court acquits Eni, Shell in $1.3bn Nigeria graft caseSweetcrude Reports (citing Reuters). Press report. 19 July 2022.Reuters-attributed report that the appeal court's step finalised the acquittal of Eni and Shell and that civil proceedings would continue. No reporter is credited.
- S4Tier D Acquittal of Shell and Eni in corruption trial “a stain on Italy”Global Witness. Press report. 17 March 2021.Campaign group statement that restates the prosecutor's bribery allegation and cites the intermediaries' convictions. It is advocacy, not a finding.Link working, checked 25 October 2026
- S1Tier B Eni: unmotivated and disconcerting Nigeria judicial case endedEni S.p.A.. Company statement. 19 July 2022.Company account that the prosecutors' appeal was dropped and the acquittals became final. It is not the court order itself.Link working, checked 25 October 2026
Other claims about Eni S.p.A.
- Outdated64Global Witness said in March 2021 that two middlemen had already been found guilty for their role in the OPL 245 deal in a separate trial.Press report, 17 March 20212 records citedBribery
- Supported81Eni said on 19 July 2022 that the OPL 245 criminal case had ended and that the March 2021 acquittals of Eni and its managers were full and final.Company statement, 19 July 20223 records citedCorporate status
- Supported79Eni said in March 2021 that the allegations of international corruption in its Congo probe ceased to exist after the charge was reduced to undue inducement, and that its EUR 11.8 million deal was not an admission of guilt.Company statement, 18 March 20214 records citedBribery