28th March 2018, London – Commenting on reports that Shell have filed a criminal complaint against a former employee over the sale of a Nigerian oilfield in 2011, Robert Barrington, Executive Director Transparency International UK, said:

“These are extremely serious allegations that must now be properly investigated. Shell must provide full and unreserved cooperation with the authorities.”

“The concern is that, coming on top of the OPL245 investigation, this new case may demonstrate that there is a systemic problem in the operations. The company needs to cooperate fully with the relevant authorities on the OPL245 case to be able to convince  investigators and prosecutors that there are no more skeletons in the wardrobe and reassure its wider group of stakeholders.”

 “If any wrong-doing is proved, we would expect the full weight of the law to be brought to bear against the individuals involved, any senior individuals who have been complicit and where appropriate the company itself. The focus in such cases is not usually restricted to one  employee – the investigation needs to ask whether others were involved, or indeed if the organisational culture may have been a contributing factor. “ 

***ENDS***

*This press release was amended on 29th March 2018.