OPL 245 Shell, Eni Graft Case: London High Court Lacks Jurisdiction – Justice Butcher
Justice Christopher Butcher, London High Court Judge, has ruled that London High Court lack jurisdiction to hear corruption case surrounding OPL 245 in Nigeria because it duplicates ongoing trial in Italy
A long-running graft trial implicating oil giants Shell and Eni plus several Nigerian officials may now not take place in the UK after a London High Court ruled today it has no jurisdiction to hear the claims.
High Court Justice Christopher Butcher argued that he does not have jurisdiction to hear the $1.1 billion lawsuit over bribery alleged in the course of a transaction, concluded in 2011, whereby Shell and Eni acquired Nigerian deep-water block OPL 245.
In virtual hearings conducted in the UK last month, the oil companies had asked for the court to decline jurisdiction, citing Article 29 of the so-called Recast Brussels Regulation.
