The Mystery of a Geneva Briefcase, Nigeria Middleman and Big Oil
- Milan prosecutor sent Swiss reminders, asking for briefcase
- Trial of current, former Shell and Eni staff begins in June
Geneva
Photographer: Didier Marti/Getty Images
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A briefcase seized from a Geneva apartment two years ago could be the key to an Italian bribery case against Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Eni SpA -- if it makes it to Milan in time.
The bag held SIM cards, Nigerian passports, a laptop and a hard drive containing more than 40,000 documents, and belonged to Emeka Obi, according to a spokesman for the Geneva Prosecutor’s Office. Swiss prosecutors found it during a raid for an unrelated investigation and are trying to get it to their Italian colleagues, who are prosecuting Obi as an alleged middle man in a $1.1 billion kickback scheme involving the energy companies vying for a Nigerian oil license.