We are disappointed, says Shell on ruling of Italian court

December 20, 2017 8:59 pm

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Royal Dutch Shell Plc says it is disappointed in the decision made by an Italian court which approved the prosecution of the company in the sale of OPL 245.

On Wednesday, a court ordered the prosecution of Shell and Eni over corruption allegations in the deal.

Executives of both companies allegedly knew government officials were bribed for their roles in getting the deal approved.

In a statement released on its website, Shell said it believed that the trial judges will conclude that there is no case against it.

“Royal Dutch Shell plc today made the following statement in response to the decision by the judge of the preliminary hearing of the Tribunal of Milan in Italy to remand the company for trial for alleged offences related to oil prospecting licence (OPL) 245 in Nigeria,” the statement read.

“We are disappointed by the outcome of the preliminary hearing and the decision to indict Shell and its former employees. We believe the trial judges will conclude that there is no case against Shell or its former employees.

“Shell attaches the greatest importance to business integrity. It’s one of our core values and is a central tenet of the business principles that govern the way we do business.

“Shell has clear rules on anti-bribery and corruption and these are included in our Code of Conduct for all staff. There is no place for bribery or corruption in our company.”

Eni has already denied involvement in the case, expressing “full confidence in the judicial process and that the trial will ascertain and confirm the correctness and integrity of its conduct”.

OPL 245 is located in an extremely rich oilfield in the Niger Delta, estimated to worth half a trillion dollars.