An eminent group of scientists and professionals have sent a collective communication to the Norwegian Government Pension Fund recommending disinvestment in the oil giant Royal Dutch Shell on ethical grounds.

By John Donovan

An eminent group of scientists and professionals have sent a collective communication to the Norwegian Government Pension Fund recommending disinvestment in the oil giant Royal Dutch Shell on ethical grounds.

The pension fund has already dis-invested in several mining and forestry companies “known to cause severe environmental and human rights related harm in their operations.”

If the campaign is successful, which focuses on Shell’s horrendous track record in Nigeria, Royal Dutch Shell would be the first oil and gas company the fund would exclude from its portfolio.
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Geneva-based Covalence published on 20 January 2009 its annual ethical ranking covering 541 multinationals. According to information on their website “Covalence’ s ethical quotation system is a reputation index based on quantifying qualitative data, which is classified according to 45 criteria such as Labour standards, Waste management, Product social utility or Human rights policy. It is a barometer of how multinationals are perceived in the ethical field.” Out of 541 multinationals surveyed, Shell is ranked near the bottom, at 510 overall, alongside the likes of the tobacco companies and Halliburton.

Richard Wiseman is well on his way to becoming an institution as far as in?house lawyers are concerned. After all, very few corporate counsel have been in the job as long as the straight-talking Royal Dutch Shell lawyer.

Rep. Henry Waxman, a California Democrat who is chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, said his panel is investigating the role of Chevron Corp.,Royal Dutch Shell PLC, Hess Corp. and Gary-Williams Energy Corp. "in giving improper gifts to one-third of MMS officials in the Denver office."

The oil companies named in the report were Chevron, Shell Oil, Hess Corp and Gary Williams Energy Corp.

Meanwhile, the rest of us were getting screwed at the gas pump.

Oil groups probed in ethics scandal

By Sheila McNulty

Published: September 16 2008 03:00 | Last updated: September 16 2008 03:00

A US congressional committee is investigating the role of oil companies in an ethics scandal in the Interior Department agency responsible for collecting oil and gas royalties.

Edward J. Markey, chairman of the select committee on energy independence and global warming, said yesterday he had sent letters to the heads of oil companies named in the investigation, Shell, Chevron and Gary Williams Energy. read more

Also, Chevron as a whole refused to cooperate with the three years-long investigations into the cheating, cocaine-using, bid-downgrading, first-class-flying, subordinate-sexing drunken party that has been the Mineral Management Service these last few years. Even though clearly both Chevron and Shell had been providing "gifts" to the employees. This is what makes America great!

Affidavit supplied by an independent solicitor (Gross & Co) verifying the results of a survey of Shell UK retailers on Shell business ethics. Includes self-explanatory exhibit and associated publication of relevant survey results in Marketing Week - half page and quarter page announcements

Shell was considering pulling out of Zimbabwe last night amid claims that President Robert Mugabe was reserving the distribution of fuel at petrol pumps for party supporters.

The Dutch pension fund for oil group Shell, Stichting Shell Pensioenfonds, one of the largest corporate schemes in the Netherlands, is overhauling its ethical policies and has sold out of one company that makes landmines. The Shell fund said in documents posted on its website that it had “broadened its existing corporate governance policy to include social and environmental aspects of business management”.

Mr Grieve owns at least £240,000 worth of shares in companies operating in the southern African country such as Shell, mining firms Rio Tinto and Anglo American and the Standard Chartered bank. Mr Cameron, speaking last week, warned that businesses and individuals "must not make investments that prop up the regime".

As you will see, the claim of “openness” is totally at variance with the tactics actually used by one of the most senior lawyers at Shell with the knowledge of the Company Chairman, Mr Jorma Ollila. The evasive tactics were used on a very important subject.