A new report by Global Witness and Finance Uncovered reveals how Shell and Eni allegedly participated in a vast bribery scheme for one of Africa’s most valuable oil blocks, known as OPL 245 in Nigeria. Top executives at Shell allegedly knew that money they paid as part of a $1.3bn deal in 2011 for a huge Nigerian oil field would end up in the hands of a convicted money launderer, former oil minister of the country, Dan Etete, who had awarded the field/block to his own company, Malabu Oil & Gas, in 1998 when he was oil minister. The report also alleges that part of the bribe money was also paid to former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and other high ranking politicians.

Global Witness and Finance Uncovered say that the deal, fraught with corruption, deprived the Nigerian people of $1.1billion in development finance, an amount worth more than Nigeria’s entire health budget for 2016. According to Global Witness, both companies said they had commissioned separate, independent investigations- “No illegal conduct was identified,” Eni has said, claiming that it “concluded the transaction with the Nigerian government, without the involvement of any intermediaries”. Shell said it had shared key findings of its OPL 245 investigation with relevant authorities and that “we do not believe that there is a basis to prosecute Shell.”

Shell and Eni responses to enquiries from Global Witness are attached as part of this story.