The Dutch headquarters of Royal Dutch Shell have been raided as part of a corruption investigation into its acquisition of a vast oilfield in Nigeria.
Shell confirmed yesterday for the first time that it was under investigation over the 2011 purchase of the offshore oilfield for $1.1 billion. Eni, Shell’s partner in the deal, has been under investigation by Italian authorities since 2014.
A spokesman for the FTSE 100 oil group said: “We can confirm we have received notice of proceedings from the public prosecutor in Italy.”
The raid was carried out in February by 50 Italian and Dutch police, according to Corriere Della Sella, the Italian newspaper.
The deal is under suspicion after it emerged that the exploration permit was effectively granted by