Oil majors Shell and Eni will be carefully monitoring a first ruling this week by a Milan judge in one of the energy industry’s biggest corruption scandals for clues to what might be round the corner for them.

The two companies are embroiled in a long-running graft case revolving around the purchase in 2011 of one of Africa’s biggest oilfields - Nigeria’s OPL 245 - for about $1.3 billion.

The case, which involves Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi and four former Shell managers including one-time Shell Foundation Chairman Malcolm Brinded, has spawned legal cases spanning several countries and is expected to drag on for months.

But this Thursday, in a case running parallel to the main trial, a judge will decide, for the first time, whether $1.1 billion of the sum paid was siphoned in bribes to win the license to the field.

Eni and Shell, as well as their managers, deny any wrongdoing.

Nigeria’s OPL 245 is one of the biggest sources of untapped oil reserves on the African continent with reserves estimated at 9 billion barrels. Because of the ongoing dispute, it has never entered into production.

If found guilty, the individuals on trial face possible jail terms for bribery, while the companies face hefty fines. (Reuters)