Dutch court to rule on landmark Nigerian case against Shell

A Dutch appeals court ruled on Friday that four Nigerian farmers may take their case against oil giant Shell to a judge in the Netherlands, in a landmark ruling involving multinational corporate governance. 

“The Dutch courts and this court consider it has jurisdiction in the case against Shell and its subsidiary in Nigeria,” Judge Hans van der Klooster said at the appeals court in The Hague.  The four farmers and fishermen, backed by the Dutch branch of environmental group Friends of the Earth, first filed the case in 2008 against the Anglo-Dutch company in a court case thousands of kilometres from their homes. They want Shell to clean up devastating oil spills in four heavily-polluted villages in the west African country’s oil- rich Niger Delta, prevent further spills and pay compensation.