MILAN – Eni, the Italian oil and gas giant, is facing investigation by the Milan public prosecutors regarding an alleged deal with Russian oil companies in which money may have gone to fund the League, led by Matteo Salvini, judicial sources said.

 Eni has shown the documents to the Guardia di Finanza law enforcement agency.

 At the centre of the investigations, reports Il Fatto Quotidiano, is the sale of six million metric tons of gasoil for 1.5 billion dollars by Russian companies Rosneft and Gazprom to Eni, according to the audio recorded on Oct. 18 at the tables of the hotel Metropol in Moscow.  Until last July, Eni denied all involvement.

 From this sale, says Gianluca Meranda, a business lawyer himself under investigation for international corruption, and who was present at the Metropol with League member Gianluca Savoini and three Russians, 65 million dollars would have gone to the League, then due to face the European elections in May.

 Savoini is heard on the tape discussing the possibility of receiving funding from the oil sale, political sources reported. 

 At that time, according to Il Fatto Quotidiano, Savoini was Salvini’s main link to people close to Russian president Vladimir Putin.  The newspaper also quotes a political source placing Savoini with Salvini at a meeting with the Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi, a meeting the company has denied.

 The Milan public prosecutors’ court have delegated to the Guardia di Finanza the task of acquiring all documents relating to financial links between Eni group companies and third parties.  Some such links have already been seen in documents published by Espresso or acquired by the court.

 Meranda, who at the time was working for London-based bank Euro-Ib, is heard on the tape explaining, “We have two companies in the middle.  The bank and a Russian company that will sign the contract with the bank,” reports Il Fatto Quotidiano. 

 Euro-Ib has denied all involvement:

 “Euro-Ib is not involved in any alleged unlawful conduct that may have derived from the actions that Mr Meranda may have taken,” stated Alexander von Ungern-Sternberg, CEO and founder of Euro-Ib, reported in La Repubblica.

 On Tuesday, political sources reported that prime minister Giuseppe Conte had said it was “urgent and necessary” for the Italian parliament to get fresh clarification about whether Savoini discussed illegally funding the League from the oil deal.

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