Peter Robinson, Shell’s former vice-president for commercial activities in sub-Saharan Africa, is accused of taking “kickbacks” from a multimillion-dollar oil field sale
Emily Gosden, Energy Editor: The Times
Royal Dutch Shell has filed a criminal complaint against a former senior executive over suspicions he may have received bribes in Nigeria.
Ben van Beurden, Shell’s chief executive, told staff he was “stunned and outraged” after the Anglo-Dutch energy group discovered evidence suggesting that Peter Robinson had received “kickbacks” from the $585 million sale of an oil licence in the Niger Delta.
Shell has told Dutch prosecutors it believes a crime may have been committed against it by Mr Robinson, who was vice-president for commercial activities in sub-Saharan Africa at the time of the sale of the OML 42 block to Neconde Energy in 2011.
Shell struck Nigeria’s first oil in 1956. It has significant operations in the country, which have long attracted controversy amid…
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Stunned and Outraged
I find the virulent condemnation of Peter Robinson in the OML 42 affair interesting in both the timing, what happened to innocent until proven otherwise, and the strength of the rebuke I understand communicated to thousands of employees down the line, stunned and outraged, pretty strong stuff.
Van Beurden in his rather jocular now infamous wire tapped conversation with Simon Henry did not seem the least stunned and outraged by the fact that his deep state spooks were analysing on behalf of RDS who would or could receive kickbacks in the OPL245 deal. That way back in time and prior to payout the Legal Adviser Hess was advising if they went ahead it would be the best of a number of very bad potentially illegal options and Simon Henry is on record to being of the opinion that none of the Shell share circa £550 million or so would ever get into the legitimate hands of the Nigerian Treasury. So arranging kickbacks per se is ok it seems, as a means to our business ends, as long as we in New Shell do not personally pocket any of the dirty money.
Anyway folks am I alone in thinking the condemnation of Robinson is a bit too convenient, a deflection perhaps to the role of an individual although senior, who was well away from the heady surrounds of the corporate Hague, a rather convenient fall guy, honest it wis’nae us Guv, it wis our brother in arms that bad egg Peter.
Bill Campbell