MILAN, June 15 (Reuters) - Italy's justice ministry ordered
an inquiry on Tuesday into the conduct of two prosecutors in a
corruption case involving energy groups Eni and Shell
in Nigeria.
Milan prosecutors Fabio De Pasquale and Sergio Spadaro were
placed under official investigation by magistrates earlier this
month for allegedly not filing documents that would have
supported Eni's position.
De Pasquale and Spadaro declined to comment on the latest
development. Milan's top prosecutor said last week that he
backed the two men, after a trial lasting more than three years.
The Justice Ministry said in a statement it had decided to
move in the wake of the judicial investigation and following
criticism of the pair by the trial judges.
"The ministry has asked the inspectorate to carry out
preliminary investigations to correctly reconstruct the facts by
acquiring the necessary documents," it said.
A Milan court in March acquitted Eni and Shell in the
industry's biggest corruption case, which revolved around the
$1.3 billion acquisition of a Nigerian oilfield a decade ago.
In papers filed on June 9, the judges criticised the way the
prosecutors had carried out their work, saying they had failed
to file with the trial documents a video shot by a former Eni
external lawyer, which they said was relevant to the case.
(Reporting by Emilio Parodi; Writing by Stephen Jewkes; Editing
by Crispian Balmer and Alexander Smith)