![Advocacy group: Shell knew of bribes to Nigeria official](https://www.jurist.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2020/03/shutterstock_657639088.jpg)
[JURIST] The anti-corruption group Global Witness (GW) [advocacy website]
said [press release] Monday that recently leaked emails reveal that Shell [corporate website] knowingly briber Nigerian officials so the company could access a Nigerian offshore oilfield. GW alleges Shell and its Italian business parter Eni paid $1.1 billion to the Nigerian government, knowing that the money would go to former oil Minister Dan Etete for personal use instead of to the Nigerian people. Etete was previously convicted of money laundering. The emails also implicated Nigerian then-president Goodluck Jonathan [BBC profile] in receiving a part of the funds. GW referred to the bribery as “one of the biggest corruption scandals in the history of the oil sector.” Shell has denied [Reuters report] any illegal conduct.
In January a UK court ruled [JURIST report] that Nigerian citizens could not sue Shell in the UK for an oil spill. In December 2015 a Dutch court ruled [JURIST report] that Nigerian citizens could sue in the Netherlands for the spill. In November the same year Amnesty International reported [JURIST report] that Shell had failed to clean the oil spill sites. In November 2014 Amnesty reported [JURIST report] that Shell had made false claims about the impact of a Nigerian oil spill.