Neconde Energy Limited said it had no under hand dealing with a former Vice-President of Shell in Nigeria, Mr Peter Robinson, in the purchase of Oil Mining Lease (OML) 42, The Sun reports. Neconde, is an indigenous oil and gas company, operating OML 42 in partnership with the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (NPDC), a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Neconde in a statement said that it was alarmed at some news reports which alleged the involvement of a former Vice-President of Shell in Nigeria, Mr. Peter Robinson in a suspected kickback in the acquisition of Oil Mining Lease (OML) 42 by Neconde in 2011.
Neconde, explained that it acquired 45% joint equity interest in OML 42 in an open and competitive bid in early 2011 from Shell, TOTAL and NAOC. The acquisition it said, was financed by a consortium of reputable local and international financiers. “At the time of the acquisition, Neconde was aware that Mr. Robinson was a Vice President in Shell. However, other than the legitimate business of acquisition of OML 42 for which full consideration was furnished, Neconde did not have any other formal or informal dealing with Robinson,” it said.
