Chief executive of Italian energy giant Eni has been sentenced to three years in prison for violating environmental norms at one of the country’s power plants.
Paolo Scaroni was charged by a court in the north-eastern town of Rovigo for inadequate environmental standards at the Porto Tolle power plant when he was the chief executive of an Italian utility firm Enel.
The ruling threatens Scaroni’s re-election hopes, as his third term as the chief executive of Eni, a post he has held since 2005, is due to expire in May this year.
The Italian government expects state-controlled companies to dismiss any director charged of financial crimes to fight corruption and improve the country’s corporate accountability.
Separately, Scaroni is currently under investigation over corruption charges in Algeria involving 43% owned oil services group Saipem. He denies any wrongdoing.