Oil Revenue: Court Adjourns FG’s Suit against Chevron Petroleum to April 30

A Federal High Court Lagos Wednesday adjourned until April 30, the $69 million suit filed by the federal government against Chevron Petroleum Nigeria Ltd, seeking to recover oil revenue.

The federal government filed the suit against Chevron Nigeria Ltd and Chevron Petroleum Nigeria Ltd, as first and second defendants respectively.

The case, which was adjourned for a report of proceedings at the Court of Appeal, was Wednesday adjourned to a further date, as parties were still before the Court of Appeal.

Counsel to both parties were represented in court.

The case has therefore been further fixed for April 30, for a report of proceedings at the Court of Appeal.

This suit is one among other suits instituted by the federal government, seeking to recover almost $12 billion in missing crude oil revenue from some international oil companies.

The suit was filed through the federal government’s counsel, Prof Fabian Ajogwu (SAN), in 2016, against some international oil companies to recover lost revenues arising from undeclared and under-declared crude oil shipments from Nigeria to different parts of the world.

Meanwhile, the court also adjourned a similar suit against Total E&P Nigeria Plc, as the case was also pending before the Appeal Court.

The federal government had sued Total E&P, alleging that the oil company under-declared the volume of crude oil it shipped out of the country between January 2011 and December 2014.

The federal government accused the oil company of short-changing it to the tune of $245 million by allegedly shipping several barrels of crude oil out of Nigeria without making due remittance to the government.

It also filed similar suits against Agip Oil Company Ltd, Brasoil, and Shell Western Supply & Trading Ltd, among others. (NAN)