The new CEO of Italian energy giant Eni, Claudio Descalzi, has been put under investigation by Milan prosecutors for alleged "international corruption," Milan-based Corriere della Sera newspaper said Thursday.
According to the newspaper, Descalzi was put under investigation in relation to an oil concession in Nigeria, for which a "huge bribery" was allegedly paid in 2011 to "Nigerian politicians and officials" when Descalzi was the head of Eni's oil division.
The newspaper said a court in London has seized from a Nigerian intermediary 190 million U.S. dollars, on request of Milan prosecutors, accounting for around a fifth of the total bribery.
The new head of Eni's exploration division Roberto Casula, former Eni CEO Paolo Scaroni and Luigi Bisignani, a former journalist and intermediary, were also reportedly being investigated in the same probe.
Descalzi was appointed as the new CEO of Eni in April by the new center-left government of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. The Italian government is the company's main shareholder.
Descalzi's predecessor Scaroni, who was also investigated in the past over corruption charges and other crimes, has always denied any wrongdoing.
During his nine-year mandate, Scaroni focused on building up a new portfolio of resources especially in Africa, where Eni has traditionally had a strong presence.
Between 2008 and 2013, Eni discovered more than 9.5 billion barrels of oil equivalent.