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OPL 245

OIL MAFIA SAGA: HOLLAND AND UNCLE SAM SHOULD KICKSTART THE “WHODUNNIT” DRAMA ON ENI AND SHELL’S OPL245 GAME IN NIGERIA

Posted by John Donovan: 22 May 2023

OIL MAFIA SAGA: HOLLAND AND UNCLE SAM SHOULD KICKSTART THE “WHODUNNIT” DRAMA ON ENI AND SHELL’S OPL245 GAME IN NIGERIA

Transparency International and its chapters in the Netherlands and the US are pleading with authorities in the two countries to revive the great soap opera involving Eni and Shell, the alleged Godfathers of bribery in Nigeria.

Our darling oil titans are accused of generously gifting over a cool US$1 billion in bribes to the chums of then-president Goodluck Jonathan. All for a trivial piece of paper – rights to the OPL245 offshore oilfield. This is recognized as an absolute party for the people of Nigeria. Because, of course, nothing says prosperity like environmental devastation and corruption. Obviously, the US and the Netherlands launched investigations but had to slam the brakes due to some Italian courtroom drama. 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.

Court rejects Nigeria’s compensation request against Eni, Shell

REUTERS

Court rejects Nigeria’s compensation request against Eni, Shell

By  and : November 11, 2022

MILAN, Nov 11 (Reuters) – An appeals court in Milan on Friday rejected Nigeria’s $1.092 billion compensation request against Italian energy group Eni SpA (ENI.MI) and Shell Plc (SHEL.L) in civil proceedings relating to a $1.3 billion oilfield deal.

The decision was read out in court.

In July prosecutors had dropped related criminal proceedings, clearing Eni and Shell, as well as managers including Eni Chief Executive Claudio Descalzi, in one of the oil industry’s biggest alleged corruption cases. 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 COMMENTS ON THE VERDICT FROM THE MILAN TRIBUNAL OVER OPL-245

SHELL COMMENTS ON THE VERDICT FROM THE MILAN TRIBUNAL OVER OPL-245

Mar 17, 2021

Ben van Beurden, Chief Executive of Royal Dutch Shell plc (“RDS” or the “Company”), today made the following statement after the Milan Tribunal acquitted the company of charges related to Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 245 in Nigeria:

“We welcome today’s decision by the Milan Tribunal. We have always maintained that the 2011 settlement was legal, designed to resolve a decade-long legal dispute and unlock development of the OPL 245 block. At the same time, this has been a difficult learning experience for us. Shell is a company that operates with integrity and we work hard every day to ensure our actions not only follow the letter and spirit of the law, but also live up to society’s wider expectations of us.” 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.

JPMorgan wins London oil trial in which Nigeria sought $1.7 bln

REUTERS

JPMorgan wins London oil trial in which Nigeria sought $1.7 bln

By  and : June 14, 2022

LONDON, June 14 (Reuters) – JPMorgan Chase (JPM.N) has won a London High Court battle against Nigeria, which was seeking $1.7 billion in damages over the U.S. bank’s role in a disputed 2011 oilfield deal.

JPMorgan said the judgment reflected its commitment to acting with high professional standards everywhere it operates, while Nigeria said it was disappointed and would review the judgment carefully before considering its next steps. 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.

Nigeria: Malabu Scandal – OPL 245 Licence Expires

PREMIUM Times

Nigeria: Malabu Scandal – OPL 245 Licence Expires

By Oladeinde Olawoyin: 26 MAY 2021

The expiry of the licence returns control of the oil field to the Nigerian government.

The licence for the controversial Nigerian offshore OPL 245 oil block has expired, PREMIUM TIMES has learnt.

According to civil society campaigners Global Witness, Eni confirmed the development in response to questions at their 2021 annual general meeting.

The organisation added on Wednesday that the expiry of the licence returns control of the oil field to the Nigerian government. 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.

Nigeria: OPL 245 – Eni Threatens Legal Action Against Heda, Others for Defamation

Nigeria: OPL 245 – Eni Threatens Legal Action Against Heda, Others for Defamation

By Peter Uzoho: April 14, 2021

The Italian oil major, Eni, has threatened to take legal action against the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA) and other critics for allegedly defaming the company over the Milan Court’s ruling on the Oil Prospecting Lease (OPL) 245 case.

Eni, in a statement that was issued yesterday in Abuja, said it found it shocking and contrary to any principle of law that the HEDA had ignored all the facts in the Milan judgment and went about defaming the organisation, its management and the Italian Court. 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.

OPL 245 LITIGATION: POLLUTING THE PROCESS

OPL 245 LITIGATION: POLLUTING THE PROCESS

The powerful Italian energy giant Eni is leading lobbying efforts in Europe, pushing for the EU to support climate-wrecking fossil gas – all whilst on the stand in the corporate corruption trial of the decade.

We can also reveal new details surrounding the “OPL 245” trial, in which both Eni and Shell are accused of involvement in a vast bribery scheme that saw hundreds of millions of dollars funnelled to Nigerian politicians.

Key findings

Our new report finds that Eni’s CEO, who is also personally on trial and facing up to eight years in prison, was granted high level access to lobby the EU’s Energy Commissioner as recently as June 2020. 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.

Update on OPL 245 Nigerian Oil Scam

Anti-corruption groups write Buhari, IG, fault Adoke on OPL 245 fraud charges 

An international coalition of anti-corruption groups has asked the Inspector General of Police, IG, Adamu Abubakar, to dismiss request for fresh investigation made by former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr Mohammed Adoke, on the OPL 245 oil fraud. Adoke had asked the IG to investigate the source of an important email that nailed him saying it was a red herring.

The coalition made up of Re-Common, The Corner House Human & Environmental Development Agenda, (HEDA) and Global Witness said a copy of the petition signed by Executive Director, Re-Common, Mr Luca Manes, was sent to President Mohammadu Buhari last week. 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.

The international corruption case against Eni, Shell and some officials of the companies resumed in the Milan court on Wednesday

The international corruption case against Eni, Shell and some officials of the companies resumed in the Milan court on Wednesday

Italian Court Accepts Evidence Indicting Former AGF, Adoke In $1.1billion Malabu Deal

The Milan court denied Adoke’s claim that the email was not his.

BY SAHARAREPORTERS, NEW YORK: FEB 03, 2021

An Italian court in Milan, Italy has accepted as evidence, electronic mails involving former Nigerian Attorney General of the Federation, Adoke Bello, and JPMorganChase bank officials in the Malabu oil deal. 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.

FG, Shell, Agip lose bid to stop Abacha’s suit to reclaim Malabu’s OPL 245

FG, Shell, Agip lose bid to stop Abacha’s suit to reclaim Malabu’s OPL 245

By Eric Ikhilae, Abuja: December 22, 2020

A Federal High Court in Abuja has rejected moves by the Federal Government, Shell Nigeria Exploration, Nigeria Agip Exploration Company and others to prevent the hearing of a suit seeking to reclaim the Oil Prospecting License (OPL) 245 originally awarded to Malabu Oil and Gas Limited.

The suit, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/201/2017 was filed in the name of Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd by Mohammed Sani Abacha, son of the late Head of State, Sani Abacha, who claimed to be the majority shareholder of the oil firm. 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.

LARGEST CASE IN INDUSTRY’S HISTORY Nigeria Eni/Shell corruption case: Future of Eni’s CEO at stake

LARGEST CASE IN INDUSTRY’S HISTORY

Nigeria Eni/Shell corruption case: Future of Eni’s CEO at stake

By Christophe Le Bec
Posted on Thursday, 24 September 2020 18:22

The highly publicised corruption trial which alleges that oil majors Eni and Shell took part in an unlawful acquisition – that of the OPL 245 oil licence in Nigeria – entered its final phase on Monday, 21 September in Milan, with the defence presenting its case.

Key business and political figures were set to go before the Italian court in relation to a Nigerian business deal dating back to the early 2000s. The corruption case is one of the largest in the oil industry’s history. 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.

OPL 245: Canadian judge dismisses suit challenging Nigeria’s grounding of Etete’s jet

Malabu Oil Deal: Canadian judge dismisses suit challenging Nigeria’s grounding of Etete’s jet

A Canadian judge on Thursday dismissed an application seeking leave to appeal the judgement that confirmed the grounding of a luxury private jet purchased by a former Nigerian oil minister, Dan Etete, with some of the alleged proceeds of the controversial $1.3 billion Malabu OPL245 oil deal.

The suit was filed before the court by Tibit Limited, an anonymously owned company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), claiming ownership of the jet. 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.

Anti-graft groups query Nigerian Justice Minister on OPL 245 assets recovery

Anti-graft groups query Nigerian Justice Minister on OPL 245 assets recovery

27 July 2020: Henry Uche

Nigeria’s Minister of Minister and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, has been asked to give full disclosure of recovered assets linked to the OPL multi-billion dollar oil scam.

In a statement delivered by the Chairman of Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) Mr Olanrewaju Suraj, the charge came after the Corner House, Global Witness, Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) and Re-Common, launched a global campaign through a letter to the AGF Malami for transparency in the assets recovered from the scam. In the petition, the groups raised 25 critical questions for Malami. 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.

Nigeria: Malabu OPL 245 Scandal – Italy Appoints Accused Official As ENI CEO

Nigeria: Malabu Scandal – Activists Kick As Italy Appoints Accused Official As ENI CEO

21 April 2020

The Italian government has re-nominated Claudio Descalzi as Chief Executive Officer of Eni, Italy’s largest multinational company and the country’s largest foreign oil producer in Africa.

Mr Descalzi is set to maintain the leadership role despite an ongoing criminal trial over corruption allegations surrounding the billion dollar 2011 acquisition by Shell and Eni of Nigeria’s OPL 245 oil license.

Italian prosecutors allege that the $1.1bn paid by Eni and their partner Shell for the OPL 245 licence was used to pay former Nigerian oil minister Dan Etete and was “intended for payment to a former Nigerian president, Goodluck Jonathan, members of the government, and other Nigerian public officials”. 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 OPL 245 Dutch Machinations

Global Investigations Review

Dutch bar unfazed by justice minister’s “unusual” contact with Shell prosecutors

By James Thomas: 18 February 2020

Dutch lawyers seem relaxed about recent revelations that the local justice minister and public prosecutors have been in frequent contact about a bribery investigation into Shell.

FULL ARTICLE (PAYWALL)

Lawyers question judge’s peculiar ruling in Shell privilege case

By James Thomas: 30 October 2019

Legal experts in the Netherlands have said that a recent privilege ruling against Anglo-Dutch oil company Shell will likely not stand up in an appeals court.

FULL ARTICLE (PAYWALL)

Shell’s in-house lawyers not covered by privilege, court rules

By James Thomas: 25 October 2019

A Rotterdam court has ruled that Shell’s in-house lawyers are insufficiently independent from the company and cannot claim legal privilege, in a decision connected to a Dutch investigation into alleged bribery by Shell in Nigeria. 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.

REUTERS: Italian court throws out witness request in Eni Nigeria graft case

A Milan court has rejected a prosecution request to hear testimony from a former legal adviser of Eni who has accused the company of spying on judges…

FEBRUARY 5, 2020

MILAN, Feb 5 (Reuters) – A Milan court has rejected a prosecution request to hear testimony from a former legal adviser of Eni who has accused the company of spying on judges, offering a boost to the Italian oil firm as it fights bribery allegations over a Nigerian oil field.

The ruling removes the prospect of months of testimony voicing allegations of wrongdoing by Eni and sets a timetable for finally reaching a verdict in the long-running case.

The decision is the second piece of bad news in a few days for Milan prosecutors after a witness last week refused to confirm a key statement. 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.