Shell’s legal woes over Nigeria’s oil
Environmental cases:
- February 2021: UK Supreme Court rules that some 42,500 residents of the Ogale and Bille communities can sue Royal Dutch Shell in English courts over oil pollution
- January 2021: Dutch appeals court rules that the Nigerian branch of Shell was responsible for damage caused by leaks in the Niger Delta and orders Shell Nigeria to pay compensation to four farmers. The amount of compensation is yet to be announced
- 2012: Members of the Bodo community file a lawsuit against Shell in a London High Court, seeking compensation for two oil spills. In 2015, Shell accepts responsibility for the spill and agrees to a £55m ($76m) out-of-court settlement and to assist in the cleanup
- 2006: A Nigerian court orders Shell and its partners to pay $1.5bn to the Ijaw people of Bayelsa state for environmental degradation in the area
Civil case:
- The widows of four environmental activists executed by Nigeria’s military regime in 1995 are suing Shell in The Hague for allegedly providing support to the army. Shell denies the claims
Criminal case:
- Italian prosecutors accuse Shell, and the Italian oil multinational Eni, of paying bribes worth $1.3bn to Nigerian officials to secure rights to an oil field. Shell denies this allegation
