(Adds comment, background)
MILAN, July 29 (Reuters) - Italian prosecutors and the
Nigerian government have appealed the acquittal of Eni
and Shell, as well as a series of past and present
managers, in a Nigerian corruption case, according to a document
seen by Reuters.
In March, a Milan court acquitted the two companies and
defendants in the oil industry's biggest corruption case
involving the $1.3 billion acquisition of a Nigerian oilfield a
decade ago.
The Nigerian government said at the time it was surprised
and disappointed by the verdict and would consider lodging an
appeal.
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.
Prosecutors alleged that just under $1.1 billion of that
amount was siphoned off to politicians and middlemen.
The court in Milan said there was no case to answer and
acquitted the companies and all other defendants.
"We have always maintained that the 2011 settlement was
legal. We will review the appeal that has been filed," a Shell
spokesperson said.
Eni said it acknowledged the appeal by the prosecutors and
Nigerian government. "Waiting to read the reasons for the
appeal; Eni confirms its total extraneousness to the contested
facts," a spokesperson said.
Last month, two prosecutors in the case were placed under
official investigation by magistrates for allegedly not filing
documents that would have supported Eni's position. Italy's
justice ministry ordered an inquiry into the conduct of the
pair.
(Reporting by Emilio Parodi; Additional reporting by Ron Bousso
and Stephen Jewkes; Editing by Agnieszka Flak and Mike Harrison)