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Barnaby Pace
@pace_nik
, 8 tweets, 2 min read Read on Twitter
1/ I'm tweeting at the Shell Eni trial in Milan today. Aliyu Abubakar is the witness today. Prosecutors allege he "was operating as an agent for Goodluck Jonathan" in the deal and was key to distributing $520m in cash bribes. Thread to follow.
2/ Before the hearing starts I should note that Aliyu Abubakar is charged in Nigeria with money laundering and corruption related offences connected to the deal. The cases are pending and I understand he's declared his innocence. The charge sheets are at shellandenitrial.org/other-jurisdic…
3/ Unusual - the prosecutor started by saying that an Italian lawyer who claimed to be acting for Aliyu Abubakar visited them yesterday asking for a new delay. The lawyer isn't present today. No written request was submitted and prosecutors pushed back so we're going ahead.
4/ Aliyu Abubakar confirms that he has received the information regarding the charges against him. He's reminded he can chose not to answer questions as he could self-incriminate. The lawyer representing him has turned up in the Milan court and he has a lawyer with him in Nigeria
5/ Abubakar has asked for a delay in giving his testimony. He is supported by some defendants saying that Abubakar is an important witness and his new lawyers haven't had time to review all the evidence.
6/ The judges rule that given the seriousness and complexity of even just the charges against Abubakar a delay should be granted and the prosecutor will offer a new date.
7/ Abubakar is facing charges in Italy in this case but prosecutors weren't able to serve the papers on Abubakar until recently. Given the scope of the charges and evidence against him he and his lawyers are given time to digest it.
8/ So that's the end of the hearing for the day. For more information about the case do check out our recent report Take the Future which analyses the impact of the deal on Nigeria. Tweet me any questions you have about the case. globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/o…
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Barnaby Pace
@pace_nik
1/ Shell & Eni's trial in Milan continues this morning. The companies, senior execs and a former minister are charged with international corruption offences for allegedly paying $1.1bn into a bribery scheme in Nigeria, they deny the charges. Tweeting to this thread this morning.
2/ Not 100% clear what we'll hear this morning. The middleman Emeka Obi, already convicted in a related trial, was slated to give evidence but he's likely to decline to answer questions.
3/ First a discussion about the expert witness testimony. The difficulties of translating technical evidence is the main issue but settled with the prosecutor and Nigeria's experts next week on 3rd & 4th April. The defendants experts will be heard the following two weeks.
Read 7 tweets
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Barnaby Pace
@pace_nik
1/ I'm back in frosty Milan and the Palace of Justice for the Shell/ Eni trial. We're expecting some fireworks today with witnesses possibly including @officialEFCC investigators and an eyewitness Nigerian intelligence agent. I'll be live-tweeting to this thread.
2/ The first witness is Victor Nwafor, retired Assistant Director for the State Security Services. Worked at the Presidential Villa as a bodyguard from March 2010. Says he never met Eni executives or Dan Etete.
3/ No cross examination on Nwafor, his examination was very brief. The next witness is here in person, Ibrahim Ahmed a Police Superintendent attached to Nigeria's @officialEFCC
Read 21 tweets
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Barnaby Pace
@pace_nik
1/ Back at the Milan palace of justice for the Shell/ Eni trial. In the witness box today is Simon Taylor, a founding director of @Global_Witness
Follow for highlights this morning.
2/ Taylor tells the court that in @Global_Witness investigations over the last 25 years have shown that corruption is the glue that binds the exploitation of natural resources to conflict, environmental abuses and human rights abuses.
3/ Taylor explains how he first heard about Malabu and OPL 245 in 2002 when Africa Energy Intelligence reported on their connection to Dan Etete. At the time @PWYPtweets was being launched so there was an interest in looking into case studies of possible corrupt oil deals.
Read 13 tweets

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