Home / Issues / The OPL 245 Nigeria oil-licence case against Eni and Shell: allegation, trial and acquittal
The OPL 245 Nigeria oil-licence case against Eni and Shell: allegation, trial and acquittal
Decidedas of 31 Oct 2026Italy; NigeriaEni S.p.A.Shell plcdraft
Current status
Confirmed fact · as of 31 Jul 2022
Eni and Shell were ACQUITTED by the Tribunal of Milan on 17 March 2021; the prosecutors' appeal was dropped in July 2022, so there is no criminal conviction of either company over OPL 245. An initial allegation did not become a finding of guilt.
C Corporate Crime (reporting), Eni and Shell acquitted in Italian bribery court case (17 Mar 2021) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026 · C Energy Voice (reporting), Italy drops appeal against Shell, Eni over OPL 245 (1 Jul 2022) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026
Confirmed fact · as of 30 Nov 2023
Related civil claims by Nigeria in Italy were rejected (Milan appeals court, November 2022) and the remaining Italian and London civil actions were discontinued by Nigeria in November 2023.
B Eni S.p.A., OPL 245 case: the process in Nigeria and Italy (company statement) (1 Nov 2023) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026
Unanswered question · as of 30 Nov 2023
A Dutch investigation touching Shell in connection with OPL 245 was reported without a public resolution; it is a separate matter outside this record.
B Eni S.p.A., OPL 245 case: the process in Nigeria and Italy (company statement) (1 Nov 2023) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026
Last reviewed 31 Oct 2026. An initial allegation is not the final event; this block is always shown.
How it unfolded
Issue raised · 20 Dec 2017
Proposition: Milan prosecutors alleged that in the 2011 acquisition of the Nigerian offshore oil licence OPL 245, most of the roughly USD 1.1 billion paid by Eni and Shell was diverted as bribes to Nigerian officials and intermediaries, and charged the two companies and a number of individuals with international corruption.
Affected parties: Eni S.p.A., Shell plc, Public Prosecutor's Office, Milan, Federal Republic of Nigeria
Originating record: C Corporate Crime (reporting), Eni and Shell acquitted in Italian bribery court case (17 Mar 2021) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026
Response · Eni S.p.A. · 17 Mar 2021
Attributed claim · as of 17 Mar 2021
Eni consistently denied wrongdoing throughout the proceedings, stated that the transaction was a legitimate payment to the Nigerian government for the licence, and welcomed the acquittal as confirmation that the facts did not constitute an offence. Shell likewise maintained that it believed the settlement was a fully legal transaction. — Eni S.p.A.
B Eni S.p.A., OPL 245 case: the process in Nigeria and Italy (company statement) (1 Nov 2023) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026
Outcome · Tribunal of Milan (court of first instance); Milan Public Prosecutor's Office (appeal) · 17 Mar 2021
judgmentbinding
Confirmed fact · as of 30 Nov 2023
On 17 March 2021 the Tribunal of Milan ACQUITTED all defendants, including Eni S.p.A. and Shell, of the corruption charges relating to the 2011 OPL 245 acquisition. The prosecutors appealed the acquittal and then, in July 2022, dropped the appeal, so the criminal proceedings closed definitively with no conviction of either company. In related civil matters, the Milan appeals court rejected Nigeria's civil claim in November 2022, and in November 2023 Nigeria discontinued its remaining Italian and London civil actions.
C Corporate Crime (reporting), Eni and Shell acquitted in Italian bribery court case (17 Mar 2021) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026 · C Energy Voice (reporting), Italy drops appeal against Shell, Eni over OPL 245 (1 Jul 2022) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026 · B Eni S.p.A., OPL 245 case: the process in Nigeria and Italy (company statement) (1 Nov 2023) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026
Remedy: None against the companies: the defendants were acquitted and the proceedings closed without conviction or penalty.
Appeal/review: concluded — Prosecutors appealed the March 2021 acquittal and withdrew the appeal in July 2022, making the acquittal final. Related civil claims by Nigeria were rejected or discontinued by late 2023. A separate Dutch investigation touching Shell was reported as unresolved, and the US DOJ closed its inquiry without charges by 2019. C Energy Voice (reporting), Italy drops appeal against Shell, Eni over OPL 245 (1 Jul 2022) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026
How to read this. Allegation, response and outcome are separate, dated records. "Decided/resolved" appears only where a cited outcome supports it. Materially affected parties can request a correction via Corrections & response.