The Kazakh government denies any accusations in relation to the bribery scandal around the Italian company Eni, Minister of Oil and Gas Sauat Mynbayev said, Trend reports. He stressed that the Kazakh government has had nothing to do with Eni's sub-subcontractors which are being checked by the Italian prosecuting authorities.
Munabayev expressed hope that the court proceedings would not affect the timing of the Kashagan project which is being operated by NCOC.
As VK previously reported, the Italian newspaper "Corriere della Sera" published an article alleging that prosecutors suspect the Milanese Italian energy company Eni of giving a large bribe for oil and gas contracts in the process of developing the Kashagan field in Kazakhstan. As the newspaper notes, Eni has given a bribe of at least $20 million to Kazakh politicians in the first phase of the Kashagan field development until spring of 2007.
