Italy probes Eni chief over Nigerian deal

Italian prosecutors have placed the chief executive officer of Italian oil and gas company, Eni, under investigation over alleged bribes paid for a lucrative Nigerian oil concession.
Eni confirmed Thursday that Claudio Descalzi and another official were under investigation but denied wrongdoing, saying the investigation would confirm their innocence.
The oil firm pledged to cooperate with investigators.
The purported bribe concerns Eni’s purchase of the lucrative OPL 245 oil block in 2011. Eni and Shell insisted they paid the Nigerian government directly for the concession.

But prosecutors are investigating whether the money went to a front company believed to be controlled by a former Nigerian minister of petroleum resources.