News & Media releases

Press Statement on Nigeria judgement

24/02/2006

Royal Dutch Shell plc ("Shell") today announced that it had received notification that the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, in Nigeria, today gave judgement in a case between theShell Petroleum Development Company of NigeriaLimited operated joint venture ("SPDC"), of which Shell owns 30%, and a group called "Ijaw Aborigines of Bayelsa State". The Ijaw Aborigines group is demanding that SPDC complies with a Resolution of the Nigerian National Assembly which required SPDC to pay $1.5 bn (Shell share $450m) to the Ijaw communities for alleged environmental damages arising from SPDC's operations.

The High Court has entered a judgement in favour of the Ijaw Aborigines group. SPDC has yet to receive the text of the judgement and cannot comment until it has studied it in detail. However, SPDC believes  that its appeal, which it has filed this afternoon, has strong grounds as independent expert advice demonstrates that there is no evidence to support the underlying claims. SPDC remains strongly committed to dialogue with the Ijaw people and all its other stakeholders.