Italian prosecutors have alleged that former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and several senior officials of his administration benefited from proceeds of the $1.3bn Malabu oil deal involving Oil Prospecting Licence 245 (OPL 245).
The allegations are contained in an indictment filed by Italian authorities and obtained by Nigerian online news outlet.
The document names former Minister of Petroleum Resources Diezani Alison-Madueke; former Attorneys General Mohammed Adoke and Bayo Ojo; former National Security Adviser Aliyu Gusau; and former Abacha-era minister Dan Etete, among others, as beneficiaries of the transaction.
According to Italian prosecutors, Etete and his company, Malabu Oil and Gas, were at the centre of the transaction involving OPL 245, which Etete was said to have acquired in 1998.
The indictment alleges that Etete engaged Zubelum Chukwuemeka Obi to source buyers for the oil block.
Italian oil firm Eni and Royal Dutch Shell were said to have agreed to acquire full rights to OPL 245 in a deal valued at $1.3bn.
Prosecutors allege that a substantial portion of the funds was earmarked for illegal payments to Nigerian government officials and executives of the oil companies.
The indictment further alleges that meetings were held between 2010 and 2011 involving senior Nigerian officials and top executives of Eni and Shell to finalise the transaction and agree on the sharing of proceeds.
Among those named on the corporate side are Eni’s former Chief Executive Officer, Paolo Scaroni, and Claudio Descalzi, then Managing Director of Eni’s Exploration and Production Division.
Italian prosecutors claim that Scaroni and Descalzi met President Jonathan on multiple occasions during the negotiation and approval stages of the deal, including meetings in Abuja and during a campaign rally in Nigeria in February 2011.
The document alleges that Descalzi maintained close contact with Obi and senior Eni officials in Nigeria, including Roberto Casula and Vincenzo Armanna, who were said to have coordinated aspects of the transaction.
Armanna, a senior adviser to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company, is accused of playing a key role in facilitating payments and negotiations linked to the deal.
According to the indictment, $207.9m was paid to the Nigerian government as a signature bonus, while about $1.05bn was transferred to Malabu.
Prosecutors allege that funds from the transaction were later distributed to various individuals, including Nigerian government officials and intermediaries, through a network of accounts and companies.
The indictment also names Aliyu Abubakar, described as an intermediary, and alleges that hundreds of millions of dollars were transferred to him or companies linked to him for onward distribution to beneficiaries.
Italian prosecutors further allege that Etete received over $800m from the deal and subsequently transferred large sums to individuals connected to the Nigerian government at the time.
The document claims that proceeds from the transaction were used to acquire properties, aircraft and other high-value assets.
The allegations form part of a broader international investigation into the OPL 245 transaction. The individuals named in the indictment have, at various times, denied wrongdoing in connection with the deal.
