(NOW UPDATED WITH 98 PAGE DOCUMENT FILED 24 APRIL 2015 WITH THE U.S. COURTS)
A 194 page Complaint filed in the US Courts two months ago confirms that investigations are underway by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, the EU Commission and the UK Serious Fraud Office into an alleged oil price-fixing conspiracy involving Shell, BP, Statoil and others.
The plaintiffs provide what they describe as “concrete evidence” within the Complaint of oil price manipulation.
A link to the entire 194 page document is provided.
Extracts from 194 page Court document dated 27 Feb 2015
SECOND AMENDED CONSOLIDATED CLASS ACTION COMPLAINT FILED 27 FEBRUARY 2015
Case 1:13-md-02475-ALC Document 308 Filed 02/27/15
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK
I. NATURE OF THE ACTION
1. This action arises from manipulations of North Sea Brent Crude Oil Market (defined herein) by Defendants Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Limited (“STASCO”), Shell Trading US Company, BP pic (“BP”), BP America, Inc., BP Corporation North America Inc., Statoil ASA (“Statoil”), Statoil US Holdings Inc. (“Statoil US”), Morgan Stanley Capital Group, Inc. (“MSCGI”), Trafigura Beheer B.V., Trafigura AG, Phibro Trading LLC (“Phibro”), Phibro Commodities Limited, Vitol, S.A. (“Vitol”), Vitol, Inc., Hess Energy Trading Company, LLC (“HETCO”), Mercuria Energy Trading S.A., Mercuria Energy Trading, Inc., (collectively, “Defendants”) since at least 2002 through the present (the “Class Period”).read more
The latest development follows the Libor rigging scandal and the raids carried out in May 2014 on the oil majors BP, Shell and Statoil, seeking evidence of manipulation of oil prices.
By John Donovan
On Tuesday, investigators for the EU Commission raided several companies producing and trading in biofuels.
According to the commission, the surprise inspections resulted from possible collusion when submitting price information to a price reporting agency.
The latest development follows the Libor rigging scandal and the raids carried out in May 2014 on BP, Shell and Statoil, in an investigation seeking evidence of oil price manipulation.
More information can be found in a Financial Times article by Alex Barker: read more
BP, Shell and Statoil have been barraged by suits since acknowledging that they were among the companies hit in a surprise raid launched by the European Commission and the Norwegian Competition Authority in May. This action arises from Defendants’ unlawful combination, agreement, and conspiracy to fix and restrain trade in, and intentional manipulation of, North Sea Brent Crude Oil (“Brent Crude oil”) and the prices of Brent Crude oil futures contracts traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange…
By Gavin Broady
Law360, New York (July 02, 2013, 7:54 PM ET) — An Illinois private placement fund mounted a putative class action against BP PLC, Royal Dutch Shell PLC and Statoil ASA in New York Monday over the alleged crude oil futures manipulation scheme that put the companies in the crosshairs of a recent European regulatory sting.
White Oaks Fund LP is suing the energy companies over a purported plot to manipulate the price of North Sea Brent crude oil and Brent crude oil futures contracts by providing bogus pricing information to Platts, which publishes benchmark price assessments in the energy sector.read more
Shell UK chairman Ed Daniels was away on business when investigators from the European Commission came calling at his London office this month over sensational allegations of price-rigging in the oil market. ‘But I heard about it pretty quickly,’ he says wryly. Unsurprisingly, it is not a subject he is eager to discuss:
Targeted: Ed Daniels said Shell is co-operating with an EC investigation
By Helen Loveless: PUBLISHED: 22:02, 25 May 2013 | UPDATED: 22:02, 25 May 2013
Shell UK chairman Ed Daniels was away on business when investigators from the European Commission came calling at his London office this month over sensational allegations of price-rigging in the oil market.
‘But I heard about it pretty quickly,’ he says wryly.
Unsurprisingly, it is not a subject he is eager to discuss: ‘We are fully co-operating with the investigation with the EC. We will continue to co-operate. More than that I can’t say.’read more
This action arises from Defendants’ unlawful combination, agreement and conspiracy to fix and restrain trade in, and intentional manipulation of North Sea Brent Crude Oil (“Brent Crude oil”) and the prices of Brent Crude oil futures contracts…: Defendants deliberately reported inaccurate, misleading and false information regarding Brent Crude oil prices to Platts…
By John Donovan
You may have seen reference on this website to the class action lawsuit launched in the USA by Prime International Trading, Ltd against Royal Dutch Shell, BP and Statoil, for alleged oil price-fixing.
1. This action arises from Defendants’ unlawful combination, agreement and conspiracy to fix and restrain trade in, and intentional manipulation of North Sea Brent Crude Oil (“Brent Crude oil”) and the prices of Brent Crude oil futures contracts traded on the New York Mercantile Exchange (“NYMEX”) and the Intercontinental Exchange (“‘ICE”) during the period of at least 2002 through the present (the “Class Period”), in violation of the Commodity Exchange Act….2. Defendants deliberately reported inaccurate, misleading and false information regarding Brent Crude oil prices to Platts, a unit of McGraw Hill Financial Inc.,and the leading global provider of spot and contract pricing for the physical and financially settled derivatives Brent Crude oil markets. Platts’ Brent Crude oil prices are used to price and settle physical floating Brent Crude oil deals under long-term contracts on a physical (spot) basis, and to settle Brent Crude oil derivatives contracts, including NYMEX and ICE Brent Crude oil futures contracts. False reporting of Brent Crude oil prices to Platts thereby undermines the entire ‘pricing structure for the Brent Crude oil market.
6. On May 17,2013, the U.K. Serious Fraud Office announced that it was “urgently reviewing” the European Commission’s allegations of price-fixing in the oil markets and determining whether to accept the case for “criminal investigation.” That same day, the United States Senate called for the U.S. Department of Justice to join the European Commission investigation.read more
The three oil producers under investigation by the European Commission for manipulating oil prices are being sued in a class-action lawsuit in the U.S.
BP Plc, Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSA) and Statoil ASA (STL) “deliberately reported inaccurate, misleading and false information regarding Brent crude oil prices to Platts,” Prime International Trading Ltd., said in a complaint filed May 22 in federal court in New York.
Platts, a unit of McGraw Hill Financial Inc. (MHFI), was raided this month along with the three oil companies by EU officials looking for evidence of price manipulation. Platts calculates benchmarks that are used in transactions worldwide based on reports from oil companies that buy and sell crude.read more
(Reuters) – A commodities trader has filed suit against BP Plc, Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Statoil in a U.S. federal court, accusing the companies of colluding to fix prices in North Sea Brent crude oil.
Thu May 23, 2013 4:33pm EDT
(Reuters) – A commodities trader filed suit against BP Plc (BP.L), Royal Dutch Shell Plc (RDSa.L) and Statoil (STL.OL) in a U.S. federal court, accusing the companies of colluding to fix prices in North Sea Brent crude oil.
Prime International Trading Ltd, in a proposed class-action lawsuit filed in the courthouse in White Plains, New York on Wednesday, accused the oil companies of misreporting prices of trades in the North Sea benchmark, which sets the price of about 70 percent of the world’s oil.read more
EXTRACTS: Oil market participants have called into question the accuracy of Platts’s benchmarks. In an August letter to the International Organization of Securities Commissions, Total Oil Trading, an arm of French oil company Total, said Platts’s prices are “out of line with our experience” several times a year. Spokesmen for BP, Shell, and Statoil declined to comment.
Europe’s Oil Market Gets Its Own Price Benchmarks Scandal
Statoil (STO) sold a tanker of Norwegian crude valued at about $63 million to BP (BP) on May 9. That transaction, which wasn’t subject to any oversight by financial authorities, would help set the price of more than half the world’s oil. The deal was reported to Platts, a unit of McGraw Hill Financial (MHFI), which uses information from traders and others involved in the market to set benchmarks for oil and related products. Platts’s figures help determine the price refiners pay for crude, which in turn affects what consumers pay for gasoline and diesel fuel.read more
Allegations of “malpractice” in the oil market that could have cost drivers hundreds of pounds will be handed over to European investigators by a group representing 5,000 independent garages.
By Rowena Mason, Political Correspondent: 12:01AM BST 23 May 2013
The Petrol Retailers’ Association said it has turned to the European Commission after British authorities failed to act on its “formal and detailed complaint” alleging “anti-competitive practices” in the oil and petrol markets.
The European Commission last week raided the offices of BP and Shell in London over suspicions oil companies have “colluded” to distort fuel prices. The companies have confirmed they are fully co-operating with the investigation but cannot comment further while the investigation is underway.read more
Shell suffered an embarrassing 10% shareholder rebellion against its executive pay report on Tuesday.
Almost 8% of the investor base voted against the company’s remuneration policy, which handed its outgoing chief executive Peter Voser a €3.3m (£2.8m) cash bonus in a year when profits dropped by $1.6bn (£1.05bn) to $27bn.
The bonus took Voser’s total salary package to €5.1m, down from €5.2m the previous year, although this is still more than double the $2.7m package given to BP boss Bob Dudley last year. Dudley received no bonus as the company continues to deal with the consequences of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.read more
It is not the first time oil companies have been in regulators’ cross hairs. In September 2006, the European Commission fined 14 firms €266.7m (£224.8m) for rigging the price of bitumen over eight years in the Netherlands. Shell received the biggest penalty.
FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES Page 9, 19 May 2013
Watchdogs join oil giants on rack in price-fix case
After whistleblowers’ claims of rigging failed, Brussels is trying to prove it
Extracts from the article by Karl West
It was June last year, and Halfon had just received an email from an oil trader who wanted to expose the tricks used to manipulate oil prices.
Abbott was sent to make sure the person purporting to be a trader was not a crank.
First impressions were good. The middle-aged man was dressed in a smart navy suit, and it was soon clear that he had a “forensic” knowledge of the oil futures market.
It is not the first time oil companies have been in regulators’ cross hairs. In September 2006, the European Commission fined 14 firms €266.7m (£224.8m) for rigging the price of bitumen over eight years in the Netherlands. Shell received the biggest penalty.read more
The whistleblower gave Halfon a statement in which he said the price of oil was being deliberately distorted: ‘I trade the oil market on a daily basis and every day the price is manipulated,’ he said. ‘There is ample oil in the system to satisfy demand at the moment. Profiteering seems to be the only objective.’
By Jon Rees And Sarah Bridge, Financial Mail On Sunday: PUBLISHED: 22:34, 18 May 2013 | UPDATED: 08:15, 20 May 2013
The scandal of alleged price-fixing by British oil companies has turned the spotlight on the bizarre way in which petrol prices for much of the world are set by a few people sat in a London office for 30 minutes.
Britain’s Shell and BP, along with Norway’s Statoil, are at the centre of a massive EC investigation after officials raided their offices in the capital last week.
All of the firms are co-operating with the investigation but they face public outrage if they are proved to have manipulated the wholesale price of oil.read more
No doubt you picked this up already. The words of a pharisee (red is mine). And what does he really mean, allegations of manipulation are against everything we believe. So Shell does not believe in allegations? Manipulation is OK?:
Extracts from Dow Jones Report
THE HAGUE, The Netherlands–The European Union probe into potential energy-price manipulation has made no adverse findings against Royal Dutch Shell PLC, the company’s chief executive Peter Voser said Tuesday.
European antitrust regulators raided the offices of Shell last week…read more
Shell mucked up everything: Worst Company EverI used to be with Post Office broadband, had the unfortunate situation to be sold to Shell, mucked up everything about swapping over, meant to have caller Id for personal reasons did not happen, another muck up cannot get through to customer lack of service had to cancel DD to hopefully get resolution but will impact my credit rating, do not use this company awful.
Thank you for your reply but I am not prepared to wait the usual 50 minutes to try to get through to your customer line, sure it helps your profits.
I have to work to pay my bills and calling during work hours is not appropriate, to prove your excellent customer service, tongue in cheek sort my caller Id within 24 hours lol, also guarantee no interruption in service and my credit rating won’t be impacted I might change my mind
After leaving a previous negative review about how bad shell energy is Shell replied asking for my account number so that they could investigate..so l did provide it however l haven't heard a thing from them. This was a number of months ago and yet again another example of how poor Shell is. Absolutely shocking service.
Shell Broadband charged me £108 to cancel when my mum died because the account was in my name. Then they kept adding more charges even though their email said no extra fees would be added. 1hr 32mins to cancel the service & passed to 4 different departments - it was as if no one had ever been bereaved before. Then no reply to my email via their online help, followed by over 1 hr on their online chat. I would avoid Shell Broadband.
So after 7 months I still haven’t got my account sorted with shell, I have rang so many times to try and get it sorted and just get fobbed off every time!! Finally got a settlement figure off them of £900 odd and said I will contact another energy company to get swapped over, check our account today and my settlement figure has gone from £900 to now £1900 with in a week!!!
Iv asked to speak to a manager a number of time and get told they are in a meeting they will call you back, guess what not once have they rang me back!!
How they government allow companies like this to treat there customers they way iv been treated is a joke.
Do not sign up with these clowns you will regret it I promise, iv had nothing but sleepless night over the last month worrying about the price increase and they clearly don’t give a dam about how this is effecting me.
Is it to much to ask for a company to do the right thing and get an issue resolved as soon as possible not 7 month down the line, although this still isn’t sorted
Have spent nearly 3 hours today trying to get an overpayment issue resolved. Long waiting times (30 to 40 mins) then have spoken to 4 different people who have 1. cut me off, 2. put me on to another person who knows nothing about what I have just spent 10 minutes discussing, 3. put me on hold while reading the file (gave up waiting after 30 mins) and 4. said he would put me through to the right person within 3 minutes but didn't. I despair!
This firm run by a complete incompetent…: This firm run by a complete incompetent have 0 customer care
Jodie Eaton hides like a frightened mouse behind automated phone lines that ur on forever so she doesn't have to be held for her mass company incompetence another grossly overpaid corporate Head miss charging customers. Contact me if you got the guts Jodie
Took them over three months to correct an error in my bill. Ignored my emails throughout and only corrected it after many phone calls. I'm now trying to get a refund from them in the form of a cheque. They keep sending the cheque to the wrong address despite my phoning them up 4 times and giving them the right address. Genuinely the worst company I've ever dealt with in terms of customer service. What makes it worse is I never chose to use them and was transferred to them after Green Energy collapsed. Will never use them again once I receive my refund.
Not only are they ripping me off with illegal energy price rises covered up by accounting for them as near doubling of the standing charge. But they are now antagonizing me further with pathetic customer service. I can download my latest bill but its corrupted so I can't read it. So I have to contact customer services. Firstly I tried the online chat and was connected to an idiot bot then left hanging for ages and gave up and decided to call. Their phone system must have been designed by a moron who wants to antagonize me as much as possible with menu after menu after menu before not connecting me to a human but leaving just hanging on until I finally gave up. Why don't Shell try spending some of their obscene earnings on looking after their customers?
I have just tried emailing them from their website, its another total disaster area where it blocks my trying to send an email by forcing me to pick a totally unconnected topic from a drop down menu, which then starts me off on another totally unconnected route. Morons!!!!
Passed to shell energy from pure planet. Didn't transfer over credit, unhelpful call centre staff, horrible call centre waiting times blamed on covid but obviously understaffed.
If I could give minus 5 stars i really would. I didnt ask to join shell energy, sadly i was transferred over from green energy. The new rate for electricity set by ofgem is 28p
per kwh, shell have decided for what ever reason to charge me 31.5 pence per KWH. Goodbye Shell energy.
Was moved to Shell energy kept getting estimated bills despite assurances that they could read my meters even complaints team misled me by saying we can read both your meters, then another overestimated bill today. When I called them was told can't read your meter. This has been going on for ages. Appalling service
Listen and read proof in audio and transcript form of Shell CEO Ben van Beurden’s cover-up tactics in the OPL 245 Nigerian corruption scandal. The instruction given by him in the covertly recorded call to CFO Simon Henry was at odds with Shell’s claimed core business principles. Cover-up and obstruction, instead of transparency and integrity, says Shell critic John Donovan
JOHN DONOVAN TV DOCUMENTARY INTERVIEW
SHELL EXECUTIVES AT THE CENTER OF A SCHEME TO STEAL $1.3 BILLION FROM NIGERIA’S PEOPLE
SHELL ADMITS DEALING WITH NIGERIAN MONEY LAUNDERER – BBC NEWS
SHELL, ENI AND NIGERIAN OFFICIALS IN OPL 245 CORRUPTION SCANDAL
INVESTIGATION OF OPL 245 NIGERIAN OIL CORRUPTION SCANDAL
DUTCH EARTHQUAKES CAUSED BY SHELL/EXXON
SHELL KILLS FOR OIL IN NIGERIA
ESTHER KIOBEL SUES SHELL FOR COMPLICITY IN HUSBANDS MURDER
ESTHER KIOBEL: EVIL OIL GIANT SHELL COLLUDED IN THE EXECUTION OF MY INNOCENT HUSBAND
SHELL LIED ABOUT CLEANING UP OIL IN NIGER DELTA
SHELL SPIES INFILTRATED NIGERIAN GOVERNMENT
LEGO DROPS SHELL OVER GREENPEACE OIL SPILL VIDEO
SHELL ARCTIC DRILLING ACCIDENTS
SHELL KNEW ABOUT CLIMATE CHANGE DECADES AGO
ABANDONED BY SHELL: KEITH MACDONALD & FAMILY, VICTIMS OF RADIOACTIVE CONTAMINATION AT WORK
ROYAL DUTCH SHELL FOUNDER SIR HENRI DETERDING, NAZI FINANCIER
JOHN DONOVAN PROMOTIONAL GAMES FOR SHELL AND OTHER CLIENTS
EBOOK TITLE: “SIR HENRI DETERDING AND THE NAZI HISTORY OF ROYAL DUTCH SHELL” – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON EBOOK TITLE: “JOHN DONOVAN, SHELL’S NIGHTMARE: MY EPIC FEUD WITH THE UNSCRUPULOUS OIL GIANT ROYAL DUTCH SHELL” – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON. EBOOK TITLE: “TOXIC FACTS ABOUT SHELL REMOVED FROM WIKIPEDIA: HOW SHELL BECAME THE MOST HATED BRAND IN THE WORLD” – AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.
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