Eni: You won't silence me!

Last week, the Italian giant Eni managed to make my LinkedIn account restricted and withdrawal of the largest professional social network in the world. This is Eni's Way... Eni is a Coward Company!

The six-legged dog tries to intimidate and silence a whistleblower who had the courage to face and fight unethical companies that kill (and bury) their whistleblowers, contradicting the words and spirit of their own Code of Ethics.

Eni, you may chill... You will never silence me!

Note: Get to know my 14 years fight story against Eni. My story is in an investigative book that is a “best seller” in Italy

Eni and the Marketing of Ethics

Social Responsibility, Corporate Governance and Code of Ethics are subjects that are becoming increasingly common in corporate environments. But they are only becoming common on the speech of the companies. There is a “black box” called “corporate corruption” over which we have little information. The press and public opinion show a lot of interest when the subject is corruption in the public sphere. The same dedication doesn’t exist in the case of private relations. Thus, a company can build a “responsibility marketing” keeping under the carpet its transgressions.

This can turn very important themes into “marketers slogans”. That’s what happened in my case, involving the Italian giant Eni who fired me after I fulfilled its code of Ethics. It has continued to be positive the company firing people involved in the facts that I gathered and reported. But one question still remains: how far reached the branches of the corruption scheme that I helped to identify and annihilate here in Brazil? Do they metastasize in the company’s headquarters in Italy? Evidently yes!

Here is a very difficult question to be faced today in the corporate world: what to do when the internal channels of the company punish with dismissal professionals who report deviations of conduct and nonconformities with the words and spirit of the code of Ethics? Maybe the path is to resort to the courts seeking redress and indemnities, and also to harness the power and strength of social medias, including LinkedIn.

Please note this is not just a personal matter. By bringing this issue to the courts and to social medias, as well as fighting for my rights, I publicly exposed what the six-legged dog was trying to hide when it fired me. Sooner or later, the company will eventually be publicly identified as a “marketer of Ethics”. This kind of action is important to set an example and help to show that Ethics can’t be restricted to corporate speeches or to the companies’ websites.

But the impact of becoming a whistleblower had consequences both in my professional and personal life. The fight is quite idealistic, because the black box of corporate corruption turned me into a vetoed professional in the market and a man who lost financial retirement benefits paid by the government of my country. This is the risk!

Unfortunately, my case didn’t happen in one of the thousands of companies that act in a responsible way, but it happened in one of the most corrupted companies of the planet that is currently being investigated by prosecutors from England, Italy and Nigeria. To make matters worse, both the current and the former global CEOs are also being investigated due to an “international corruption” for having made bribery payments and keeping part of this illegal money in their own pockets.

But it is important to note that, if cases like mine are taken to the courts and to social medias, it is possible that honesty, integrity and transparency also reach quickly all companies…. For better or for worse!

Doing the right thing has a high price to pay, but I have no doubt that Ethics is always worth it!

What would you do? This is Eni's Way!

What would you do?

You, following the Code of Ethics of your company, make a complaint to the internal channels about a millionaire scheme of frauds and corruption. Nothing happens and you are fired in retaliation.

You invoke the Ethics Committee and they don't do anything either. Then, you can only appeal to the Board of the company. The directors of the Board, including the global CEO, don't take any action regarding your case. However, to try to intimidate and silence you, they sue you for libel and slander, demanding an indemnity of US$30 millions.

There is no law for the protection of whistleblower in the country where the mentioned facts happened. 

What would you do?

This is Eni's Way!

Note: Get to know the story of this whistleblower that fightsagainst the Italian giant Eni for 14 years to try to rescue and restore hisname, his honor, his image and his reputation unfairly depreciated by thiscompany that has also destroyed the career and retirement of thiswhistleblower. This story is also in an investigative book recently publishedin Italy that, in a short time, became a best seller. 

The Corporate Governance doesn't do the right thing

In 2002, the Board of Eni kills the whistleblower of the company's Brazilian subsidiary.

In 2010, the Chairman, the CEO and the other directors tried to bury the whistleblower in Italy.

Now, the Board of the Italian giant pretends that nothing happened. And what is worse! Continues with their "lying version" of the facts and tries to keep a "frivolous lawsuit" in Rome, demanding a millionaire indemnity (30 million Euros) from the whistleblower.

Get to know the details of this story that, this year, was published in an "investigative book" (Eni: The Parallel State) written by two renowned Italian journalists (Andrea Greco and Giuseppe Oddo).

Note: See more in: 

1) Eni's Whistleblower: 14 years in 14 paragraphs...

2) Do you want to learn how to kill a Whistleblower?

3) My story in book The Parallel State: The first investigation on Eni

Eni admits! And now SEC?

Royal Dutch Shell A : U.S.$1.1billion Malabu Scam - Italian Oil Giant, Eni, Admits Wrongdoing

After coming under intense questioning from its shareholders, the management of Italian oil giant, Eni has finally admitted to wrongdoing in the infamous Malabu Oil deal.

Eni, as well as Royal Dutch Shell, had previously insisted that it followed the law in the purchase of one of the most lucrative oil blocks in Nigeria, OPL-245, which belonged to Malabu Oil, a company owned by a convicted former minister, Dan Etete.

Mr. Etete was the petroleum minister under Sani Abacha. PREMIUMTIMES' previous investigations had detailed how he fraudulently awarded the oil block to himself and friends, including Mohammed Abacha, Mr. Abacha's son, in contravention of Nigerian laws.

Eni and Shell took over ownership of the oil block after paying $1.1 billionto Malabu.
Despite UK court documents showing the contrary, Eni and Shell insisted that they were not aware the money paid to the Nigerian government would be transferred to Mr. Etete.

In fact, Eni claimed its internal investigation that probe its role in the scandal said the company followed due process and "did not find evidence of illegal conduct".

However, after coming under intense queries by vexed shareholders, the company admitted that the investigation did not interview personnel involved who are suspects in a criminal investigation linked to the deal. The company also admitted that it did not follow the Italian legal criminal procedure rules for the conduct of defence investigations.

"Obviously these interviews talks [sic] did not regard those known to be listed in the register of suspects at the Milan prosecutor's office, in order not to interfere with the judiciary's investigations. Being an independent internal audit on a voluntary basis, it was not necessary to refer to the rule of the Code of Criminal Procedure governing defence investigations," Eni's management told shareholders.

According to them, further analysis of the investigation recently commissioned by the board of directors "had confirmed, in a transparent manner, the adequacy" ... "of the analyses carried out by other consultants".

"Eni's investigation failed to interview key people inside and outside the company who negotiated the corrupt deal, and failed to access key documentation that forms the basis of the allegations against the company," said Barnaby Pace, a campaigner with UK-based anti-corruption organization, Global Witness.

"Eni has to come clean over this corrupt deal, the company told its investors it had found no evidence of illegal conduct but given what we now know about their investigation this isn't good enough. Investors should be seriously worried about the systemic risks that the company might be facing if this is how they react to serious corruption allegations,"Mr. Pace added.

Elena Gerebizza of Re: Common, an Italian organization campaigning for financial integrity, said Eni has to do more than merely admitting to wrongdoing.

He said as the biggest shareholders of Eni, the Italian government has to make sure that those involved are made to face justice, in line with its avowed anti-corruption stance.

"Eni's claim to a zero tolerance approach to corruption does not seem to line up with their actions on the OPL 245 case. The management admitted to current CEO Claudio Descalzi's talks with a known convicted criminal during the negotiations for the deal but refused to disclose the content of the conversations or say what action has been taken over this this deeply problematic situation. As the largest shareholder in Eni, the Italian Government has a responsibility to intervene, it cannot maintain an anti-corruption stance but ignore such credible evidence within Italy'sbiggest company," she said.
The infamous oil deal has elicited multiple investigations across the world. In Italy, the office of the Public Prosecutor of Milan is investigating Eni and Shell as well as Mr. Etete who has been named as a suspect.

In Holland, financial police working on a joint investigation team alongside Italian authorities, raided Shell headquarters at The Hague in February.

A UK court ordered that $190 million paid by both oil giants to Mr. Eteteand his middleman be frozen.

Back home, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commissions, EFCC, is probing the deal. In 2014, the House of Representatives recommended that the deal be cancelled as it runs against the dictates of Nigerian laws.

Dotun Oloko, a Nigerian anti-corruption campaigner said: "All culpable parties must be held to account and face serious consequences for the cycle of corruption to be broken both in Nigeria and western boardrooms".

Note: Copyright Premium Times. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com)., source News Service English

Will the Board of Eni finally answer?

A former executive – a whistleblower who was dismissed after following the Code of Ethics of the company, reporting a millionaire scheme of internal fraud and corruption at the Brazilian subsidiary of the Italian giant Eni – demands answers from the members of the Board of Eni during the Shareholders Assembley 2016, which is taking place on May 12th.

1. What is Eni’s Code of Ethics for? The words and spirit of this instrument are for real or just to meet the requirements of the market and investors? What are the obligations of Eni’s Ethics Committee existing in all its subsidiaries around the world?

2. Why the internal channels of Eni’s Brazilian subsidiary, after receiving a complaint of a millionaire scheme of fraud and corruption, didn’t investigate it as it should and, moreover, punished with resignation, a committed, dedicated and brilliant executive who did exactly what Eni’s Code of Ethics demands of any company employee, in any country Eni operates?

3. What Eni’s Brazilian subsidiary tried to hide by dismissing this “whistleblower”? How far would reach the ramifications of the scheme of fraud and corruption that this “whistleblower” identified and helped – through the information contained in all your correspondence – Eni to annihilate?

4. Why the management of the CEO Vittorio Mincato neither listened nor answered and, much less, investigated the facts narrated by this “whistleblower”? Why the management of the CEO Paulo Scaroni preferred to propose an “Indemnity Lawsuit” at Italy, demanding 30 million Euros from the “whistleblower”? Why the management of the CEO Claudio Descalzi continued with this lawsuit? What is Eni trying to hide with this attitude contrary to its own Code of Ethics?

5. Why Eni doesn’t open an internal investigation, with independent auditors to check whether there was a mistake in the lawsuit of this “whistleblower”? Judging by the amount of corroborating documents, there is an overwhelming evidence that this “whistleblower” has always spoken the truth! This would be the fairest way to emerge the real truth of the facts presented here.

If Eni is an Ethical Company, it will answer: Why did Eni kill a whistleblower? 

Will the Board of Eni finally answer?

If Eni was an Ethical Company...

If the Italian giant Eni was an Ethical Company, Eni's Board would investigate my case... I always told the truth!

Eni's Board pretends nothing happens!

It's the Board the highest authority inside and outside the company walls, the embodiment of the Corporate Governance and the Big Boss of all the executives. Besides, the Board is responsible for ensuring the Code of Ethics. Above all, it is the "Guardian of Ethics".   

There are companies that don't respect their Codes of Ethics and the whistleblowers are being killed (and buried) around the world, but the Board pretends nothing happens. The Italian giant Eni is an exemple! 

This story was published in an investigative book. See more in this link.  

The Italian giant Eni is a liar!

There are companies that kill the whistleblowers.. And after using the lie to bury the whistleblowers!

The Italian giant Eni is an exemple.

Read the company's position when a reporter inquired about my case.

The Italian giant Eni is a liar!

FBI investigates The Bribe Factory ... And now Eni?

FBI And Justice Department Probing Huge International Bribery Scandal (including Italian giant Eni)

The feds are working with Australian and British investigators to investigate Monaco firm Unaoil and its partners.

The FBI, U.S. Department of Justice and anti-corruption police in Britain and Australia have launched a joint investigation into revelations of a massive global bribery racket in the oil industry.

The news comes as Fairfax Media and The Huffington Post reveal that U.S. giant Halliburton and its former subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root are embroiled in the Unaoil bribes-for-contracts scandal through their operations in former Soviet states.

The biggest leak of confidential files in the history of the oil industry also unveils rampant corruption inside Italian oil giant Eni in many of the countries in which the firm has been contracted by national governments to manage their oilfields.

Texas firm National Oilwell Varco, Singapore conglomerate Keppel, Norway’s Aker Kvaerner and giant Turkish joint venture GATE also are implicated.

Information from hundreds of thousands of emails to Unaoil’s chief executive, Cyrus Ahsani, show individual executives and managers from Halliburton and Kellogg Brown & Root, which split in 2007, knew or suspected that Unaoil was acting corruptly to win contracts in Kazakhstan.

Managers from Eni, Spanish Firm Tecnicas Reunidas, French firm Technip, drilling giant MI-SWACO and Rolls-Royce not only actively supported bribery, but were offered, or pocketed, their own kickbacks. And U.S. defense giant Honeywell and Australian firm Leighton Offshore agreed to hide bribes inside fraudulent contracts in Iraq.

Companies approached by Fairfax Media and The Huffington Post about their contracts with Unaoil have emphasized their strong anti-corruption policies and have committed to investigating their dealings with Unaoil.

Unaoil denied any corruption.

Police begin probes, face questions about past failings

The U.S. Department of Justice, FBI, U.K. National Crime Agency and Australian Federal Police are now jointly investigating Unaoil and some its multinational clients. The probe is likely to be one of the world’s biggest, given the number of companies and countries involved.

The leaked Unaoil files show that in the Middle East, Unaoil bribed two Iraq oil ministers, Iranian oil chiefs and the right-hand man of Muammar Gaddafi’s son, among others.

Questions are emerging about how Unaoil operated for so many years with impunity, using bank accounts in New York and London to launder funds and pay bribes from 2000 to 2012, and possibly more recently.

Unaoil has its headquarters in Monaco and is controlled by the wealthy Ahsani family, led by patriarch Ata Ahsani and sons Cyrus and Saman.

The trio all have British passports. Many of Unaoil’s crooked deals were organized  in London, or used U.K. and U.S.-linked middlemen, bank accounts and shelf companies. British authorities appear to have been in the dark about Unaoil and the Ahsanis, who also operate a London property investment company. The British foreign office has even assisted Unaoil overseas, giving Unaoil and its executives briefings and support.

The Ahsani family, meanwhile, has mixed freely with the elite political and business crowd in Britain and elsewhere in Europe. Saman Ahsani sits on the board of an Iranian NGO in London, alongside former chancellor of the Exchequer Norman Lamont. The Ahsanis host charity events with Prince Albert and Princess Caroline of Monaco, and have paid Prince Albert’s good friend, Mike Powers, to sit on Unaoil’s advisory board.

There is no suggestion that Powers, Lamont or the Monaco royals were aware of Unaoil’s corruption.

The Caspian states 

To win contracts for its clients in Kazakhstan, Unaoil paid multiple bribes to Eni and Kazakh officials overseeing tenders in the giant Kashagan oilfield and elsewhere. 

It appears from the leaked files that senior managers from Kellogg Brown & Root, or KBR, were pushing Unaoil hard to win favor. One email written from a KBR manager told Unaoil to concentrate its efforts on “a good spaghetti house” and “a little shashlick.”  The code refers respectively to the officials from Italian company Eni and the Kazakh government who were overseeing the contracts KBR wanted to win.

The leaked files show Unaoil sought to corrupt a number of influential figures, including senior Eni manager Diego Braghi and Kazakh senior official Serik Burkitbayev, to give its clients an advantage over rival companies.

Unaoil used the same formula in neighboring Azerbaijan, where KBR also paid it millions of dollars to help it win contracts. A leaked KBR file said Unaoil’s key middleman in Azerbaijan was “very close to the President and his family ... [and] has an access to every office in the country”.

This middleman, Reza Raein, received millions of dollars from Unaoil in multiple bank accounts. In return, he leaked highly confidential information from senior Azeri government officials to Unaoil, which was fed back to its multinational clients.

Unaoil also sought to build its shady empire in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, including by liaising with a middleman who promised access to “the company of the [Uzbek] President’s daughter, Gulnara Karimova”.

Read more:

Unaoil: Police Launch Global Investigation

There’s A Huge New Corporate Corruption Scandal. Here’s Why Everyone Should Care.

Unaoil’s Huge New Corporate Bribery Scandal, Explained

U.S. Oil Industry Giant Paid Millions To A Company At The Center Of Huge Corruption Scandal

Inside The Battle Against Global Corruption

Note: This post has been copied in full Huffington Post (see this link)

The Bribe Factory: Eni is involved... Of course!

Large global companies involved, including the Italian giant Eni (of course!).

Where is the Business Ethics? Where is the Compliance? They are only corporate marketing tools?

Where are the Whistleblowers?

See more at:

PART 1:

PART 2 and 3:

THE KEY PLAYERS (See the list of companies involved)

Eni: a company that is a state within a State

On March 17th of 2016, Andrea Greco, an economics journalist for the Italian journal "La Repubblica" (The Republic), in a partnership with Giuseppe Oddo, launched the book "The Parallel State: The first investigation on Eni".

In nearly five years, these journalists researched the past six decades of Eni, one of the largest companies of the planet, interviewing former employees, experts, politicians, scholars, as well as current accounts and documents of all kinds. They narrate in this work that the chief executive of the Italian energy giant is more important than the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the biggest scandals and obscure cases of corruption emerged in Eni, known as the "six-legged dog".

Among them, is highlighted the deaths, until today under mysterious circumstances, of Enrico Mattei, founder of the company, and also of former president, Gabriele Cagliari, involved in the "Tangentopoli Case", who committed suicide in prison. Not only that, but the last two CEOs (the current and his predecessor) are being investigated for international corruption both in Italy, Nigeria and England, especially for the payment of a millionaire bribery in the "OPL 245 Case".

In a book of this magnitude, there is a chapter dedicated to my country titled as "Brides and suffering in Brazil". The authors highlight the Brazilian's biggest corruption scandal involving the state-owned Petrobras as well as the payment of brides by Saipem (Eni's subsidiary). Besides, the summary of my fight story against Eni, of nearly 15 years, is part of this investigative book (see here). And this is a big victory for me!

But, it is not only my victory! It is also a victory to all the Whistleblowers that are being killed (and buried) around the world by companies that don't respect its own Code of Ethics, by employees and executives who steal corporate coffers and by the Board, that pretends nothing happens.

I hope my story can be an example and motivation to other Whistleblowers that should never give up trying to rescue and restore their name, their honor, their image and their reputation, which were thrown in trash cans by hypocrite companies that don't act with integrity, honesty, responsibility, transparency and uses "Ethics" just as a "marketing tool". Unethical companies need to be unmasked to no longer harm its employees and their families around the world.

Note: The summary of my fight story against Eni in this book

Do you want to learn how to kill a Whistleblower?

Do you want to learn how to kill a Whistleblower? The Italian giant Eni can teach you.

Learn the five steps of Eni’s Board on how to kill (and bury) a Whistleblower. See also documents relating to the “deadly strategy” of the Frivolous Lawsuits.

Step 1: The company receives a complaint and doesn’t respect the Code of Ethics;

Step 2: Soon after, the company dismisses the Whistleblower;

Step 3: The Ethics Committee doesn’t take any action to reverse the unjust retaliation against the former employee;

Step 4: The Board of Directors pretend that nothing happened;

Step 5: To bury the whistleblower we only need to move the "Frivolous Lawsuits".

People, companies and institutions must act to protect Whistleblowers who are being killed worldwide.

Note:
1) Eni's Frivolous Lawsuits
2) Defense of Mr. Filinto in Italian Justice

All the Best.

Douglas Linares Flinto

Chairman & CEO
Brazilian Business Ethics Institute