Prosecutors have requested that documents received from JPMorgan should be filed as evidence in the corruption trial over the acquisition of Malabu oilfield in Nigeria by Eni and Shell.
The case which started since 2011, involves the purchase of the Nigerian OPL 245 offshore oil field for about $1.3bn.
The prosecutors are alleging that about $1.1 billion of the sales proceeds was siphoned off to politicians and middlemen.
At a public hearing on Wednesday, prosecutors asked the court to accept two emails sent to Italy by United Kingdom authorities.
Reuters reported that the emails originate from a separate London court case launched by the Nigerian government against JPMorgan Chase, claiming over $1.7 billion for its role in the disputed oilfield deal.
The first is an email sent by the former Nigerian Attorney General Mohammed Adoke Bello to JPMorgan from the email address of a company owned by Aliyu Abubakar – a Nigerian oil magnate whom prosecutors allege paid $500m in cash as part of a bribe.
In this email, seen by Reuters, Adoke sent the bank copies of the resolution agreement regarding the oilfield acquisition.
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The prosecutors said they considered it relevant to establish the relationship between Adoke and Abubakar.
Adoke was charged last year for allegedly receiving bribes to facilitate the deal, and he pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Abubakar’s trial will start in coming weeks in Milan but he has denied any wrongdoing.
The second email, also seen by Reuters, is between two JPMorgan officials expressing doubts about transferring $1.1bn to two accounts at Nigerian banks.
Milan magistrates, at Wednesday’s hearing, said they considered the email significant as it showed there were doubts within the bank over the transfer, which a Swiss and a Lebanese lender had previously refused to carry out.
Tit will be decided by the Milan court on February 3 whether to admit the two documents in the case.
JPMorgan declined to comment, saying it was not part of the Milan case, when contacted for comments.
The companies and defendants involved in the Milan case, including Eni’s current CEO, Claudio Descalzi, have all denied any wrongdoing.
Milan prosecutors have asked for jail sentences for all the defendants and fines for the two oil giants but lawyers for Eni and Shell asked for the companies to be acquitted.
It is expected that a verdict will be reached by March.
