The Federal Government, on Wednesday, documented a Notice of Appeal, testing the choice of a Federal High Court Lagos, which expelled an obligation recuperation suit it recorded against Nigeria Agip Oil Company Ltd, and Brasoil Services Company Nigeria Ltd over undeclared oil shipment.
FG through its advice, Prof. Fabian Ajogwu, SAN, had recorded the suit in 2016, trying to recuperate just about 12 billion dollars in missing unrefined petroleum income from some International Oil Companies.
Government is asserting 55 million dollars against Agip, in missing oil income, and guaranteeing the aggregate of 4.8 million dollars against Brasoil in comparative conditions.
It says the totals speak to deficits in the measure of abundance raw petroleum lifted out of Nigeria.
In its judgment conveyed on Wednesday, Justice Mojisola Olatoregun, rejected the offended party’s suit in light of the fact that it neglected to set up adequate certainties on the dominance of proof.
On account of Agip, the court held that the offended party should give adequate proof to demonstrate that the defendant really lifted overabundance 500,000 barrels of raw petroleum, so as to qualifies it for the reliefs looked for.
So also, for the situation against Brasoil, the court likewise held that the weight lays on the offended party to demonstrate and indicate essential confirmations, in a quest for its case, adding that it neglected to set up same.
On that premise, the court expelled the offended party’s suits.
Disappointed with the lower court’s judgment, FG through its insight, documented a Notice of Appeal testing the whole courts choice on a few grounds.
For example, FG asserted that the lower court blundered in law, when it held that the offended party’s case comes up short for absence of confirmation on a dominance of proof, and held that it was not qualified for every one of the reliefs looked for in its corrected proclamation of case dated April 12, 2017.
The appealing party fights that the court neglected to consider significant certainties put before it, and furthermore failed in law when it held that the defendant had played out all the applicable commitment in connection to an assertion of unrefined petroleum income to be transmitted to the FG.
The offended party affirmed that in accordance with the setup standard of law, it is of the sentiment that there must be a critical examination and assessment of all confirmations brought under the watchful eye of the court.
The offended party is along these lines, looking for a request of the investigative court, putting aside the choice of the lower court, by which it rejected its suit.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal government had likewise sued Total E&P Nig. Plc, charging that the oil organization under-announced the volume of raw petroleum it dispatched out of the nation between January 2011 and December 2014.
The government blamed the oil organization for duping it as much as of 245 million dollars, by supposedly sending a few barrels of raw petroleum out of Nigeria, without making a due settlement to the administration.
Comparative suits are likewise pending against Chevron Nigeria Ltd, Chevron Petroleum Nigeria Ltd, Shell Western Supply and Trading Ltd among others.
All suits are pending before Justice Olatoregun of the lower court.
