Nigeria’s anti-graft agency filed new charges against Royal Dutch Shell and Italian multi-national oil and gas company Eni, alleging the companies “corruptly” paid $801m in 2011 when acquiring an offshore oil field.
The European oil majors gave that sum to former Nigerian oil minister Dan Etete, his company Malabu Oil & Gas, and others in relation to the purchase of Oil Prospecting License 245, “thereby committing an offence,” according to documents from the Federal High Court in Abuja.
“Eni re-affirms the correctness of its conduct within the acquisition of the licence,” the company said in an e-mailed statement on Friday, and said it hasn’t been notified of any charges relating to the deal.
The latest charges come after a Nigerian court, in January, ordered Eni and Shell to temporarily cede control of the jointly owned licence to the government, pending investigations.
The $1.1bn acquisition of the deep-water Gulf of Guinea licence — estimated to hold at least 9-billion barrels of crude reserves worth $1-trillion — violated tax regulations and a law promoting Nigerian ownership, according to a 2013 report by lawmakers who recommended the deal be revoked.
Shell didn’t immediately respond to a request seeking comment.
Bloomberg