5. WWF and Denham Capital
In 2017, the Paradise Papers revealed that many environmental organizations have invested in oil and gas organizations, particularly the independent conservation group WWF.
An investigation by NBC News in June 2018 revealed that WWF invested more than $2 million in oil and gas private equity firm Denham Capital in 2008. Denham's contract runs through 2020, and WWF could incur a loss if he were sold before then.
WWF said in a statement on its website: “WWF advocates for responsible development in areas with potential oil and gas production. If development does occur, WWF will ensure that it is done as safely and responsibly as possible. We want to make sure that development is particularly sensitive, avoiding areas that are considered particularly sensitive. In some areas, like the Arctic, it's our only chance to get it right.”
4. Car wash corruption case
Brazilian oil giant Petrobras is the focus of corruption allegations as part of a broader criminal investigation in an incident known as “Operation Car Wash.”
Operation Car Wash, named after the car wash where the operation was first discovered in 2014, involved Petrobras bribing Brazilian politicians and political parties and attempting to hide the payments from regulators and investors. was accused of doing so. Bribes were paid to secure contracts at inflated prices.
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The U.S. Department of Justice has described the car wash scandal, in which $2.1 billion was siphoned off from Petrobras in bribes and secret payments, as “the largest foreign bribery case in history.”
In September 2018, the company reached an agreement with U.S. and Brazilian authorities to resolve years of investigation into the scandal. As part of the settlement agreement, the company agreed to pay a penalty of $853.2 million.
Petrobras said in a statement: “This resolution is in the best interest of Petrobras and his shareholders by ending the uncertainty, risk, burden and cost of potential prosecution and protracted litigation in the United States. ”
3. Shell Eni Nigeria Corruption Case
In December 2018, Nigeria filed a $1.092 billion lawsuit against oil companies Shell and Eni over alleged fraud and corruption cases.
Nigeria alleged that Shell and Eni engaged in bribery and conspiracy against the country, accusing them of diverting billions of dollars in potential revenue from Nigerian citizens.
The lawsuit relates to funds used by Shell and Eni to purchase an interest in the OPL 245 block. The money was allegedly paid to Malabu Oil and Gas, a company owned by Nigeria's former oil minister, Dan Etete, where it was used for bribes and kickbacks.
Tom Hibbert, a lawyer at Reynolds Porter Chamberlain who represented Nigeria, said: “This complaint seeks to recover the very large amount of money lost as a result of the corruption and misconduct of Shell and Eni in this transaction. “This reflects the determination and continued efforts of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
Shell said in a statement on its website: “We are disappointed in the outcome of the preliminary hearing and the decision to prosecute Shell and his former employees. We are disappointed that the trial judge concludes that there is no case against Shell or his former employees. believe.”
2. Ogoni Nine
This is not Shell's only scandal in Nigeria, as on February 12, 2019, the oil multinational faced allegations of complicity in a number of human rights violations in Nigeria.
A judge in The Hague heard testimony from four Ogoni women who blamed Shell for their part in the execution of their husbands by the Nigerian military in 1995.
Nine men, including protest leader Ken Saro-Wiwa, were illegally detained and executed by Nigeria's military junta. The plaintiffs claim this was encouraged by Shell, as the “Ogoni Nine” were outspoken critics of Shell's operations in Ogoniland, a kingdom in southern Nigeria.
Esther Kiobel, lead plaintiff in the case, said: “Shell has been fighting for years to keep this case from being heard in court. They have the resources to fight me instead of doing justice for her husband.”
Shell continues to protest its innocence in the Ogoni Nine case. Former Shell director Malcolm Brinded said at the time: “While we were prepared to go to court to clear our name, we believe the right path is to focus on the future of the Ogoni people.”
1. BP oil spill accident
But by far the biggest oil scandal in recent memory is the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, better known as the BP oil spill.
In 2010, an explosion at BP's Deepwater Horizon drilling rig off the coast of Mexico killed 11 people and injured several others.
The resulting oil spill is believed to be the largest in oil industry history, with an estimated 4.9 million barrels of crude oil leaking into the Gulf of Mexico.
Investigations following the oil spill revealed management problems at BP that contributed to the disaster. In September 2014, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier charged the company with willful misconduct and gross negligence, ruling that BP acted with “conscious disregard for known risks” and calling the company's actions “reckless.” ”.
The U.S. Presidential Commission also released a report on the oil spill, stating that “most mistakes and oversights… [the Deepwater Horizon rig] Its causes can be traced back to a single comprehensive failure: failure of management. ”
In a statement posted on BP's website, BP Group General Counsel Rupert Bondi said: “Gross negligence is a very high bar that BP believes it cannot meet in this case.
“This was a tragic accident with multiple causes and multiple parties involved. We strongly believe there was no gross negligence.”
