MILAN, Nov 3 (Reuters) - The acquittal of Nigerian Emeka Obi
and Italian Gianluca Di Nardo in a graft case in Nigeria
involving Eni and Shell has become final after
prosecutors said they would not appeal on behalf of the Nigerian
government.
In a decision seen by Reuters on Wednesday, Italy's Attorney
General's Office said it would not challenge a June ruling by a
top Italian court overturning jail sentences for the two men.
The prosecution itself had asked for the sentences to be
overturned after a court in March acquitted Eni and Shell in the
case, saying there was no case to answer.
Italian prosecutors and the Nigerian government have since
appealed the acquittal of Eni and Shell as well as a series of
past and present managers.
The case revolved around a deal in which Eni and Shell
acquired the OPL 245 offshore oilfield in 2011 to settle a
long-standing dispute over ownership.
Obi and Di Nardo were both accused of being middlemen and
taking illegal kickbacks. They had been convicted in a
fast-track trial back in 2018 separate from the main one.
(Reporting by Emilio Parodi Writing by Stephen Jewkes
Editing by Mark Potter)
