Renzi's best friend!

Fixers: Who are they?

Bribes, Favors, and a Billion-Dollar Yacht: Inside the Crazy World of the Men Who Do Oil Companies' Dirty Work

When big oil companies like Exxon-Mobil and Chevron set their sights on a prime new oil reserve in Africa, Asia, or the Middle East, the first phone call they make usually isn't to the government office putting it up for sale. Instead, they ring up one of their contacts in a small, elite group of so-called "FIXERS", a shady cabal of a few dozen well-connected billionaires who hold the strings on the market for the world's most valuable commodity. The fixer gets a fat fee and a straightforward assignment: Do whatever you need to do to get us those oil rights.

Unlike the US, where oil rights are held by individual property owners and leased to mining companies, in most developing nations oil rights are held by the government, and getting them means having a personal relationship with the right ministers—and knowing how to grease their palms. Since the mid-1900s, oil companies have relied on fixers to do their dirty work, crisscrossing the globe with a Rolodex stacked with the calling cards of corrupt heads of state. In the end, we get cheap oil, oil companies get plausible deniability, and the leaders of some of the world's most oppressive regimes get astronomically rich.

Ken Silverstein is a veteran journalist who has spent the last several years finagling his way into the traditionally hyper-reclusive world of oil fixers, gaining unprecedented access to many key players and amassing a portfolio of outrageous tales of bribery, exploitation, and obscene wealth. His book, The Secret World of Oil, hit shelves in May 2014.

Text by Tim McDonnell

Meet the interview that the author gave to Mother Jones about the book. Click here.

Now is the new Boss... Of course!!!

Italian prosecutors are investigating the chief executive of oil and gas company Eni, Claudio Descalzi, over the suspected payment of bribes to secure an oil contract in Nigeria, a report said on Thursday (September 11, 2014)

The Corriere della Sera newspaper said the state-controlled energy giant is suspected of having paid 190 million dollars to an intermediary linked to former Nigerian Oil Minister Dan Ete to secure extraction rights over the Opl 245 oil block.

Eni was not immediately available for comment, but the newspaper report said the company had previously denied any wrongdoing in the Nigeria deal.

At the time of the deal, in 2011, Descalzi was head of Eni's Oil division. He was promoted to chief executive in April, replacing Paolo Scaroni, who is also being probed over allegations of international corruption.

Corriere della Sera said that acting on a request from prosecutors in Milan, a court in Britain had frozen two bank accounts worth 110 and 80 million dollars respectively, belonging to the Nigerian intermediary who allegedly received the bribes.

On the Milan stock exchange on Thursday, company shares were down by more than 1%, the worst performance of the day.

Text by Times Live.

Is the Board of Directors of Eni regulated by the "Best Practices" of Corporate Governance or is a bunch of conniving people?

Where is Eni's Board?  What is the use of the Code of Ethics Eni?

Where is Greenpeace Italy?

They say that the dog is a man's best friend! But, this does not seem be the case for six-legged dog!

Eni SpA contradicts its own Code of Ethics, not only on issues involving the management of business, but also for the communities where the company operates.

In the Code of Ethics is imperative:

Development of local Communities

. Eni is committed to actively contribute to promoting the quality of life, the socio-economic development of the communities where Eni operates and to the development of their human resources and capabilities, while conducting its business activities according to standards that are compatible with fair commercial practices.

. Eni’s activities are carried out in the awareness of the social responsibility that Eni has towards all of its Stakeholders and in particular the local communities in which it operates, in the belief that the capacity for dialogue and interaction with civil society constitutes an important asset for the company. Eni respects the cultural, economic and social rights of the local communities in which it operates and undertakes to contribute, as far as possible, to their exercise, with particular reference to the right to adequate nutrition, drinking water, the highest achievable level of physical and mental health, decent dwellings, education, abstaining from actions that may hinder or prevent the exercise of such rights.

. Eni promotes transparency of the information addressed to local communities, with particular reference to the topics that they are most interested in. Forms of continuous and informed consultancy are either promoted, through the relevant Eni structures, in order to take into due consideration the legitimate expectations of local communities in conceiving and conducting corporate activities and in order to promote a proper redistribution of the profits deriving from such activities.

. Eni, therefore, undertakes to promote the knowledge of its corporate values and principles, at every level of its organization, also through adequate control procedures, and to protect the rights of local communities, with particular reference to their culture, institutions, ties and life styles.

. Within the framework of their respective responsibilities, Eni’s People are required to participate in the definition of single initiatives in compliance with Eni’s policies and intervention programs, to implement them according to criteria of absolute transparency and support them as an integral part of Eni’s objectives.

Health, safety, environment and public safety protection

. Eni’s activities shall be carried out in compliance with applicable worker health and safety, environmental and public safety protection agreements, international standards and laws, regulations, administrative practices and national policies of the Countries where it operates

. Eni actively contributes as appropriate to the promotion of scientific and technological development aimed at protecting the environment and natural resources. The operative management of such activities shall be carried out according to advanced criteria for the protection of the environment and energy efficiency, with the aim of creating better working conditions and protecting the health and safety of employees as well as the environment.

. Eni’s People shall, within their areas of responsibility, actively participate in the process of risk prevention as well as environmental, public safety and health protection for themselves, their colleagues and third parties.

However, Eni is systematically degrading the environment, contaminating the water, soil and air in various Italian cities, and causing diseases (and deaths) in the population, including defenseless children.

Learn some examples (Italian language):

. CosmoPolis

. DorsognaBlog

. Avaaz

WHERE IS GREENPEACE ITALY?

Eni's Board stop Eni's Way!

The Eni's Way of conducting business is lamentable and contrary to the Eni's Code of Ethics! 

Eni's Board stop Eni's Way!