MILAN, Italy, June 23 (UPI) -- A former manager at Italian energy company Eni said executives received bribes in Kazakhstan, which sparked similar investigations in Kuwait and Iraq.
Mario Reali, the former head of Eni offices in Russia, told investigators about alleged payoffs related to contracts in Kazakhstan. This led investigators in Milan to look into similar allegations related to the Jurassic oil field in Kuwait and the Zubair oil field in Iraq, Italian news agency Adnkronos International reports.
Eni secured Iraqi and Kuwait contracts in 2010. Nerio Capanna, a vice president of Eni subsidiary Saipem, is one of the officials caught up in the probe. Eni Chief Executive Officer Paolo Scaroni isn't a target, AKI adds.
Eni and Saipem in 2010 paid $365 million to settle a U.S. investigation into a similar bribery case involving natural gas contracts.
Saipem was contracted for the work in Kuwait. Eni is the leader of the consortium developing the Zubair oil field in Iraq.
Reali's allegations involved the Kashagan oil field, one of the largest in the world.
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