Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 6 March 2018

Oil giants Shell, Eni on trial in Nigerian bribery case Aide turns state

witness as Israeli
four non-governmental
organizations, including PM travels to US
Global Witness, submitted
requests to be considered By JOSEF FEDERMAN
damaged parties in the Associated Press
proceedings, which would JERUSALEM (AP) — A confi-
allow them to participate dant of Benjamin Netanya-
in the prosecution. hu on Monday agreed to
The organizations all turn state's witness in a bur-
worked together to get geoning corruption case,
documents to prosecutors becoming the third former
in Milan, as well as in other aide to testify against the
jurisdictions, that helped Israeli leader in a series of
bring to the Nigerian case scandals and casting a
to trial. shadow over a high-profile
Descalzi is one of 13 individ- visit to the White House.
uals charged in the case in- Police confirmed that
volving the 2011 purchase longtime Netanyahu family
of the OPL245 block. Other spokesman Nir Hefetz had
defendants include his pre- agreed to turn state's wit-
decessor, Paolo Scaroni, ness, but would not elabo-
two former top Shell execu- rate further as a gag order
tives, a former Nigerian oil has been imposed on the
minister, and a series of mid-
Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi appears at an Eni investor meeting, in Milan, Italy. A corporate bribery dlemen and advisers. The case.
trial billed as the biggest in history is opening Monday, March 5, 2018 in Milan against the Shell Hefetz was arrested two
and Eni oil companies as well as former and current executives, all charged in a $1.1 billion scan- companies themselves are weeks ago on suspicion of
dal to win control of one of Nigeria’s most lucrative oil blocks. also corporate defendants. helping promote regula-
(AP Photo/Antonio Calanni) Milan prosecutors allege tion worth hundreds of mil-
that $520 million of the $1.1 lions of dollars to Israel's Be-
By COLLEEN BARRY most lucrative oil blocks. "We have never seen a sit- billion paid into an escrow zeq telecom company in
MILAN (AP) — A corporate The size of the two oil com- ting CEO of an oil major account was converted return for favorable cover-
bribery trial billed as the panies makes the trial the go on trial for bribery," said into cash and distributed as age of Netanyahu and his
biggest in history opened biggest ever, according to Barnaby Pace, a cam- bribes, while several hun- family by the company's
Monday against the Shell anti-corruption campaign- paigner with activist group dred million more went to popular news website.
and Eni oil companies as ers, who also say it is un- Global Witness. a former oil minister. Both Israeli media reported that
well as former and current precedented that Eni's cur- The trial was later post- companies are also under he signed the agreement
executives, all charged in rent CEO, Claudio Descalzi, poned until May 14 for investigation in the case in in return for full immunity.
a $1.1 billion scandal to win remains in his post while he technical reasons. The Ni- the Netherlands and face The Haaretz newspaper
control of one of Nigeria's faces such serious charges. gerian government and charges in Nigeria.q
said he will deliver record-
Egypt seeks closer ties during visit by Saudi prince ings of the prime minister
and his wife as part of the
agreement.
Hefetz was released on
the country and stepped inaugurate a nearby army- Sunday, a day before
up its rivalry with Iran. built resort. Egypt seeks in- Monday's dramatic devel-
Posters featuring Salman vestment from oil-rich Saudi opment. Shlomo Filber, an-
alongside President Abdel- Arabia to help develop the other long-time confidant
Fattah el-Sissi lined ma- area, where Cairo wants to to Netanyahu, has also
jor roads in central Cairo, establish an international agreed to be a state wit-
where Salman later met transport, logistics and pro- ness in the case.
with Egypt's Coptic Pope duction hub. On the first Netanyahu has denied
Tawadros II in the first such day of the three-day visit, any wrongdoing and has
visit by a Saudi official to the two signed agreements not been named a sus-
the spiritual center of the on common investment pect in the case, but he
country's Orthodox Chris- funds and environmental was questioned by police
tian community. He also protection, the Saudi news on Friday ahead of his trip
met Egypt's top Islamic of- agency SPA reported. to Washington.
ficial, Ahmad al-Tayyeb, The leaders are also ex- The White House meet-
and saw a performance at pected to discuss the on-
In this Sunday, March 4, 2018 photo, Egyptian President Abdel- ing with Trump provides a
Fattah el-Sissi, right, greets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin the Cairo Opera. Salman going wars in Syria and Ye- welcome diversion for Ne-
Salman in Cairo, Egypt. will travel to Britain and men, as well as their joint tanyahu and a chance to
(Fady Fares, MENA via AP) the United States later this boycott of tiny Gulf nation shore up his base, which
week. Qatar, which they accuse
By BRIAN ROHAN nership. The prince and el-Sissi trav- of fomenting extremism remains firmly behind him.
CAIRO (AP) — Egypt gave It is the first trip abroad for elled through one of the across the region. The gov- But even with an embrace
from Trump, and an ex-
a warm welcome to Saudi the 32-year-old Salman new tunnels being built ernment insists the islands
Arabia's Crown Prince Mo- since he became heir under the canal, before were always part of Saudi pected warm welcome
at the pro-Israel lobbying
hammed bin Salman on to the Saudi throne, and boarding a boat from a Arabia, and that Egypt only
Monday, with military fan- comes after a tumultuous red-carpeted dock as an assumed temporary cus- group AIPAC's annual con-
ference on Tuesday, Ne-
fare and a trip to the Suez year in which he consoli- army band played march- todianship of them in the
Canal meant to underline dated power by sidelining ing music. He later cut the 1950s at a time of soaring tanyahu will have a difficult
time escaping the growing
a growing strategic part- rivals, vowed to modernize ribbon at a ceremony to Arab-Israeli tensions.q
scandals back home.q