On Sep 6, 2020
FORMER Lagos State Attorney-General (AG) and Commissioner for Justice, Olasupo Shasore, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, at the weekend opened up on the salacious scandal trailing the controversial contract crisis between Nigeria and an offshore Shell company, Process and Industrial Development Limited (P&ID).


The muddled gas contract culminated in an arbitral award against Nigeria for alleged breach of contract. The initial $6.6 billion award made by a London tribunal on January 31, 2017, is now at the $10 billion mark, due to pre and post-judgment interest, calculated at 7 per cent. In granting Nigeria an opportunity to review the award out of time, a London court alleged that the lawyer representing the country in the matter at the arbitration paid a $200,000 bribe to two government officials and that the lawyer was Shasore.

In a statement on Saturday pleading his case, Shasore alluded to his patriotism in defending Nigeria literally with bare knuckles but chose to be silent on the bribery allegations against him. In a stunning disclosure, the senior lawyer also alleged that government officials who had hard facts of the disputed contract that could have helped the nation refused to help.


Shasore identified the legal adviser of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as the only official who volunteered to testify. The same official has been identified in the latest ruling from London as confessing to being paid $100,000 by Shasore.


The former AG refused to comment on the allegation. “When the then Nigerian officials failed to supply documents or any witness to defend their case, I fought liability by enlisting the support of the legal adviser of NNPC who gave evidence to the best of his knowledge when everyone else with knowledge, refused to do so,” he said.

Shasore also deemed the noise about his $2 million legal fees as much ado about nothing, noting that “much issue has been made about the legal fees paid. This was a payment to two law firms and not exceptional or unusual in the context of such a dispute. In fact, in order to extract the best possible case for Nigeria, it was from these fees that expenses were paid to ensure attendance at hearings and meetings in the UK by witnesses for Nigeria.”


On the bribery allegations against him, Shasore said, “Though I reserve the right to respond to further falsehoods against me as they are published, I am, however, a truly patriotic Nigerian, and remain willing and committed to assisting Nigeria in the numerous stages still required to successfully defend this dispute. “My commitment and professional integrity to always act in the best interest of Nigeria, who has been victimised by fraud and corruption, remains unshaken.”