MALABU OIL SCAM: Nigerian man, Italian accomplice bag 4-yr sentences each

Findings into the controversial Malabu oil deal has claimed its first convicts after a Nigerian man and his accomplice in Italy were on Thursday sentenced to four years each for their roles in the transaction.

According to reports, the Nigerian government stood as a negotiator in the controversial sale of OPL 245 oil block in offshore Nigerian waters in the complex corruption case.

Reports suggest that two international oil and gas giants, Royal Dutch Shell and Italian Agip-Eni, paid out about $1.1 billion to Dan Etete, a former Nigerian petroleum minister.

Several Nigerian government officials were believed to have received several million dollars in bribes for the enabling roles they played as the pay out later became a subject of cross-border investigation spanning over six countries.

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The first two convicts, Emeka Obi, a Nigerian consultant in England, and Gianluca Di Nardo, an Italian, who have both been charged by Italian prosecutors reportedly stood as middlemen in connecting the parties and transfer of the funds via international bank accounts.

They were found guilty by an Italian court and were both sent to four years each in prison with Reuters reporting that another £100 pounds was confiscated in connection with the case.

“Today sees the first men fall in the murky Malabu scandal. As Shell and Eni’s trial looms, time will tell whether it’s just the middlemen who pay the price for this epic crime against the Nigerian people,” said Barnaby Pace, anti-corruption campaigner at Global Witness.

“But one thing’s for certain: this judgment will send shivers down the corporate spines of the oil industry – and will surely alarm Shell and Eni employees and shareholders who have been repeatedly told that there was nothing amiss with the OPL 245 deal.”

 

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