Shell settes Nigeria civil rights suit – justice delayed, but justice

True, the $15.5 million settlement amount is a pittance, and Shell continues to deny any responsibility for the 1995 death of Nigerian activist Ken Saro-Wiwa. Add to it this malarkey:

In a statement, the company said the agreement “will provide funding for the trust and a compassionate payment to the plaintiffs and the estates they represent in recognition of the tragic turn of events in Ogoni land, even though Shell had no part in the violence that took place.”

“Shell has always maintained the allegations were false,” Malcolm Brinded, the company’s executive director for exploration and production, said in the statement.

Nonetheless, the result shows the Alien Tort Claims Act may just have some teeth. And, Shell agreed to release the dollar amount of the settlement, an idea it long resisted.

And that will have ramifications for the other major players of Big Oil in places like Ecuador and Indonesia.

So, justice delayed and partial still has the leverage of justice for tomorrow, too.