The energy giant will have to pay four Nigerian farmers compensation and start a cleanup over pollution caused by leaking oil pipelines in the
An appeals court in
The court delivered its judgment at the end of a long-running civil case. The farmers were seeking financial compensation and a clean-up by Shell for pollution caused by pipelines leaking oil into the
"Shell
A key issue in the case is the principle of whether multinationals in
The decision can be appealed in the
The company claimed that saboteurs were responsible for leaks in underground oil pipes that have polluted the delta. Shell also argued that it should not be held legally responsible for the actions of a foreign subsidiary.
However, the court said Shell Nigeria had not proven "beyond reasonable doubt" that the multiple oil spills were the result of sabotage rather than poor maintenance.
"This makes Shell Nigeria responsible for the damage caused by the leaks", the court said. "The amount of compensation to be paid will have to be determined at a later stage."
The case was brought in 2008 by farmers complaining of lost income from contaminated land and waterways and the environmental group
rc/rt (AFP, epd)
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