Nigeria TV Info — Italian Appeals Court Upholds Prison Sentence for Prosecutors in Eni Corruption Case

Brescia, Italy — An Italian Appeals Court has upheld an eight-month prison sentence for two Milan prosecutors, Fabio De Pasquale and Sergio Spadaro, over their failure to submit key evidence that could have supported energy giant Eni’s defense in a major international corruption case.

Judges in the northern city of Brescia on Thursday reaffirmed the earlier verdict handed down last year, ruling that the prosecutors neglected their legal obligation to present documents potentially favorable to the defence in the high-profile Eni and Shell trial.

Before the ruling, Spadaro delivered an emotional statement insisting that there had been “no refusal, no omission,” emphasizing that both prosecutors acted “according to conscience and law.”

Their lawyer, Massimo Dinoia, announced that the duo will appeal the decision to Italy’s highest court — the Court of Cassation.

The original case centered on allegations of corruption involving the sale of Nigeria’s OPL 245 oil block, in which Shell and Eni were accused of bribery. Both companies were acquitted by a Milan court in 2021. However, the court later criticized De Pasquale and Spadaro for failing to submit a video recording made by a former Eni external lawyer, which it deemed relevant to the defence.

In October 2024, both prosecutors were sentenced to eight months in prison for concealing vital evidence — a verdict now reaffirmed by the appellate court.

— Nigeria TV Info