Dutch Court Acquit Shell Nigeria Of Oil Pollution Charges
A Dutch court has rejected four out of five allegations against Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell over oil pollution in Nigeria's Niger Delta ...
http://www.africaeagle.com/2013/01/dutch-court-acquit-shell-nigeria-of-oil.html
A Dutch court has rejected four out of five allegations against Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell over oil pollution in Nigeria's Niger Delta region.
But it found a subsidiary of the firm, Shell Nigeria, responsible for one case of pollution, ordering it to pay compensation to a Nigerian farmer.
Shell said it was "happy" with the verdict in the landmark case.
The case was brought by four Nigerian farmers and Friends of the Earth, which says it is "flabbergasted".
The campaign group says it intends to appeal. However, it has welcomed the Dutch court's ruling that Shell's subsidiary was liable on one count.
However, reporters who were in court, says both sides are claiming victory.
The case was launched in 2008 in the Netherlands, where Shell has its global headquarters, seeking reparations for lost income from contaminated land and waterways in the Niger Delta region.
It is the first time a Dutch-registered company has been sued in a domestic court for offences allegedly carried out by a foreign subsidiary.
Shell said it was "happy" with the verdict in the landmark case.
The case was brought by four Nigerian farmers and Friends of the Earth, which says it is "flabbergasted".
The campaign group says it intends to appeal. However, it has welcomed the Dutch court's ruling that Shell's subsidiary was liable on one count.
However, reporters who were in court, says both sides are claiming victory.
The case was launched in 2008 in the Netherlands, where Shell has its global headquarters, seeking reparations for lost income from contaminated land and waterways in the Niger Delta region.
It is the first time a Dutch-registered company has been sued in a domestic court for offences allegedly carried out by a foreign subsidiary.
