UK court throws out Nigerian oil corruption case against Shell, Eni

An English court threw out a $1.1 billion case Nigeria had brought against Royal Dutch Shell and Eni related to a dispute over the OPL 245 oilfield, saying it had no jurisdiction, a court document showed on Friday. The Nigerian government filed the case in 2018 at a commercial court in London alleging payments made by the companies to get the OPL 245 oilfield license in 2011 were used for kickbacks and bribes.

Justice Butcher said in his ruling seen by Reuters that the High Court "must decline jurisdiction over the action against" Shell and the other defendants. Eni, which has said it did nothing wrong, had no immediate comment. A Shell spokeswoman said the company welcomed the decision.