Former Eni chief Scaroni to join Rothschild as deputy chairman

LONDON, June 20 (Reuters) - Paolo Scaroni, the former chief executive of Italian oil and gas company Eni (NYSE: E - news) , is to join investment bank Rothschild as deputy chairman, Rothschild said on Friday.

Scaroni, who headed state-owned Eni from 2005 until last month, will join Rothschild in July and work closely with the group's Global Financial Advisory unit, the bank said in a statement.

Scaroni, who is under investigation over corruption charges involving oil services group Saipem (Other OTC: SAPMY - news) , left Eni after its shareholders approved a new board for the company.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has urged state-controlled companies to eject from their boards any director charged of financial crimes in a drive to fight corruption.

The 67-year-old was in March sentenced to three years in prison by an Italian court over inadequate environmental standards at a plant during his tenure at utility Enel (MDD: ENEL.MDD - news) .

He said at the time he would appeal the verdict. (Reporting by Clare Hutchison, editing by William Hardy)