The Government of Kazakhstan has filed a civil lawsuit in Switzerland for $15 million against subsidiaries of the Italian energy company Eni, a key participant in the Kashagan and Karachaganak projects. This step is seen as part of a broader legal strategy by Astana in the context of a major arbitration case worth about $160 billion, Vlast.kg reports.
According to case materials, companies and individuals linked to Eni are accused of involvement in corruption schemes. Kazakhstan, according to Bloomberg, is using disclosure mechanisms in foreign courts to strengthen its position in the protracted arbitration dispute.
As part of these procedures, a U.S. court authorized the deposition of former KazMunayGas vice president Maksat Idenov, who was questioned in Houston. His name repeatedly appeared in U.S. diplomatic cables published by Wikileaks. As early as 2010, Idenov warned of risks associated with negotiations over a 10% stake in the Karachaganak project.
The Swiss lawsuit is connected to another case initiated in March 2025 by PSA, the company managing contracts for Kashagan and Karachaganak. PSA claimed that corruption schemes were used to bribe Kazakhstani officials and pay kickbacks to Eni managers and intermediaries between 2006 and 2011. Investigators are particularly focused on repeated revisions of a field-service contract, whose cost rose from $88 million to $490 million.
Eni maintains that the allegations are unfounded, noting that Italian authorities had previously cleared the company of all accusations during an earlier investigation.
Kazakhstan, however, continues to apply legal pressure, despite having previously lost similar cross-border disputes, including the high-profile “Stati case,” which ended with compensation being paid to a Moldovan businessman.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
November 18, 2025