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February, 2017:

Shell Nigerian corruption, lunch and lots of iced champagne

A few minutes ago I published an article that mentioned Shell’s long-standing connection with Hakluyt & Company, the private spy firm populated by former senior MI6 officers. 

Titled Shell directors were directors, major shareholders and for a time, the ultimate spymasters in the company. Shell was and remains a client.

I have had direct dealings with Hakluyt in connection with Shell that I can only describe as bizarre. One thing was plain. They were very concerned. A titled lawyer, Sir Anthony Hammond QC drafted the response we received. Interesting then to see an article just published by the London Evening Standard.  read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell, the oil giant run by unscrupulous hypocrites 

Congratulations to The Guardian on their story exposing the hypocrisy of Royal Dutch Shell in relation to climate change. 

‘Shell knew’: oil giant’s 1991 film warned of climate change danger

Shell subsequently invested billions in highly polluting exploration and production activities around the world. The Guardian provides examples. 

The gap between Shell propaganda and what it actually does is even more striking bearing in mind the core principles of Shell’s claimed ethical code of honesty, integrity, transparency etc. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Climate of fear at Shell Nyhamna Gas Plant in Norway

Runar Kjørsvik, the former Main Safety Delegate elected by colleagues at the huge Nyhamna Gas Plant operated by Shell was recently honoured with the 2017 Zola Award at the Norwegian Nobel Institute Exhibition Hall for defending the interests of Shell employees. 

By John Donovan

SHELL MANAGEMENT PERSECUTION OF UNION SAFETY DELEGATE RUNAR KJORSVIK

This is the first in a series of articles about the astonishing story of Shell senior management’s evil persecution of Runar Kjørsvik, the Norwegian elected by his fellow workers as the Main Safety Delegate of the SAFE union at the huge Nyhamna Gas Plant operated by Royal Dutch Shell. He (and his family) ended up being the subjects of a surveillance operation. Shell has the photographs to prove it. Runar was ultimately dismissed. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Dysfunction Crisis and Scandal at Shell Norway

Printed below is an EnergyVoice.com article about defects found at Shell’s Norway gas plant. These were uncovered during a recent inspection carried out by The Petroleum Safety Authority of Norway.

Actually, the situation is far more serious. On Saturday I supplied certain related information to Ben van Beurden just in case he has been kept in the dark. The ball is in Shell’s court.

Shell knows I intend to publish an array of leaked communications and other information they would prefer to keep secret. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Oil Resumption in Ogoni: Does Our Society Still Have Any Conscience?

By Fegalo Nsuke

When in 1993, the Ogoni people embarked on the journey to redefine their future with a historic march involving over 300,000 people, little did they know that they were not only on a self-rescue mission but were to shape the life and future of the entire Niger Delta. The Ogoni struggle became an eye-opener to the nefarious and very repugnant ecological war of the multinational oil companies in the Niger Delta.

Government response was simply to sentence 9 outspoken Ogoni leaders to death by hanging. It would have been expected that the hanging of Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight others on November 10, 1995 was to end the Ogoni agitation, at least it was sufficient to put fear into everyone who dared to question the operations of the multi-national oil companies, and was expected to guarantee the resumption of oil production in Ogoni and cover up the massive human rights abuses perpetrated by the Nigerian authorities and Shell. against the Ogoni people. The Nigerian authorities had imagined that no one would further organize the Ogoni resistance after Saro-Wiwa. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Fake news naming Shell as an animal testing company?


By John Donovan

The BBC has published an article claiming that Shell has admitted experiments on animals including rabbits, rodents, birds and fish.

According to the BBC Scotland article “The latest figures published on Shell’s website show the firm was involved with laboratory experiments on more than 100,000 animals in 2015. The Scottish Daily Mail says it was more than 400,000 animals – see above right

I wonder whether Shell, the BBC, The Herald and the Scottish Daily Mail are all the victims of another hoax, perhaps perpetrated by the Yes Men? read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell’s Role in Irish Police Corruption Scandal

By John Donovan

In April 2013, I informed Alan Shatter, the then Irish Minister for Justice & Equality about widespread corrupt practices involving the Irish police. I received an emailed acknowledgement of the warnings from his then Private Secretary Damien Brennan.

Shortly thereafter Shatter was forced to resign after a state-commissioned report found that both the government and police had failed to properly address allegations of Irish police corruption.

Shell was a corporate sponsor of corruption in Ireland aided and abetted by its then”Mr Fixit” company OSSL, who to this day, freely admit their involvement in distributing bribes on behalf of Shell to smooth the path of the controversial Corrib Gas Project. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Simon Henry sells another £1m worth of Shell shares

The fact that Simon Henry the departing Chief Financial Officer of Royal Dutch Shell Plc has flogged another £1m plus worth of Shell shares has not gone unnoticed in the financial media.

The above Daily Mail article based on information I supplied, was published several weeks ago after Henry sold £1m worth of his Shell shares days before his unexpected resignation.

Now the latest instalment in his Shell share selling spree has been taken up by Interactive Investor, asking whether director dealing activity can be a warning sign.  read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Trials and Tribulations of Royal Dutch Shell Plc

Links below to a selection of current news stories posted on
our sister website royaldutchshellgroup.com. They include, among other developments, news that Shell has lost another court case, this time at a cost of $254m.

There is also coverage of further litigation relating to Shell’s nefarious activities in Nigeria, with the latest events in the OPL 245 saga. 

And The Motley Fool poses a very important question: Can BP and Shell survive the coming oil price crash? 

Shell loses $254m court case: EnergyVoice.com 16 Feb 2017 read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

US Legal Battle over 100,000 Shell Internal Docs

There is a major legal battle in progress in the US courts relating to over 100,000 Shell internal documents and witness depositions arising from the famed Kiobel vs Royal Dutch Petroleum Co case.

Shell lawyers Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP has just obtained a stay of a Court Order which had required the discovery materials to be made available to Esther Kiobel by 27 February 2017. The details and the associated court imposed deadlines flowing from the stay are indicated in the above COURT ORDER dated 14 February 2017.  read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

US appeal against order to hand over Shell docs for Dutch case

 The most audacious argument being made by Cravath against the Court Order is that since Esther Kiobel has already waited more than twenty years in pursuing Shell, what’s the problem in her waiting even longer!

By John Donovan

Yesterday, despite the fact that the petition case resulting in the recent Court Order had been officially closed, Cravath filed an appeal against handing over the Shell discovery documents for use in the Dutch courts. This is for an imminent human rights action being brought by Esther Kiobel against Shell in its home country. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Shell Charged With Corruption In OPL 245 Nigerian Oil Deal

Italian prosecutors have reportedly charged oil giants Shell and Eni with international corruption offences, as the companies struggle with the fallout from their controversial 2011 purchase of an oil licence in Nigeria.

Several senior executives from the two companies – including Eni’s current CEO Claudio Descalzi – have also been asked to stand trial individually over the $1.3billion deal, along with former Nigerian oil minister Dan Etete.

Shell declined to comment when approached by Energydesk. Individuals briefed on the matter said the company had not yet received notice from the Italian prosecutors. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Brexit, Trump, Populism and Royal Dutch Shell Plc

By John Donovan (right)

Brexit and Trump are the most visible current manifestations of populism – examples of ground-breaking nationalist movements backed by a large proportion of a voting population.

Populism is on the rise in a number of EU countries including Germany, France and the Netherlands, where there is mounting concern over PVV leader Geert Wilders.

What is described as “encroaching populism and negativism” is apparently viewed as a serious threat by Dutch multinationals, including Shell, Philips and Unilever. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Which Members of the Royal Dutch Shell Executive Committee Approved the OPL 245 Scam?

In March last year, a regular contributor to this website using the alias “Outsider” (in fact a well-connected insider) posted the following comment and question on our Shell Blog.

Contrary to what today’s newspaper reports might suggest, Shell wasn’t “dragged” into the long-running OPL 245 scandal – Shell was involved in orchestrating it from the very start.

Since expenditure at this level must have required the approval of the EC it will be interesting to see whether Shell will let us know which members of the EC were responsible for approving the scam. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Italian prosecutors seek trial of Shell Foundation Chairman Malcolm Brinded on OPL 245 Corruption Charges

ITALIAN PROSECUTORS SHOW ALL EQUAL BEFORE THE LAW AS THEY REQUEST TRIAL OF SHELL, ENI, SENIOR EXECUTIVES AND FORMER NIGERIAN OFFICIAL FOR CORRUPTION OFFENCES OVER OPL 245 DEAL

9th February 2017 – Sources close to Italian law enforcement today confirmed that they have requested that Shell, Eni and several Eni senior executives including the current CEO Claudio Descalzi, be sent to trial for alleged international corruption offences over the 2011 purchase of the massive Nigerian OPL 245 oil block. Italian prosecutors also requested that former Nigerian Oil Minister Dan Etete and several other individuals be sent to trial, and are seeking separate charges against four senior Shell executives including the current Shell Foundation Chairman Malcolm Brinded, who at the time of deal was head of Global Exploration and Production. read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.

Royal Dutch Shell CEO: Dividends No Longer No.1 Priority

One of our regular contributors has picked up on a priority switch by Shell senior management which may frighten shareholders in Royal Dutch Shell Plc.

During an interview with Michelle Fox of CNBC earlier today, Ben van Beurden the Chief Executive Officer of the company said: In terms of debt paydown and covering of dividends two important priorities – Debt No 1, Dividend No 2. 

Michelle Fox asks… When you say Dividend is number two does this mean you could change the level going forward?  Mr Van Beurden made reassuring noises about the dividend but noticeably did not backtrack on his relegation of dividend payment levels to being a

secondary priority read more

This website and sisters royaldutchshellgroup.com, shellnazihistory.com, royaldutchshell.website, johndonovan.website, and shellnews.net, are owned by John Donovan. There is also a Wikipedia segment.