Shell Nigeria denies it lied to Dutch court about pollution, says damage is from sabotage

Shell Nigeria denies it lied to a Dutch court in The Hague about oil pollution in the Niger Delta.

The multinational company, half owned by Nigeria's government and with significant Dutch shareholding, says sabotage, not company negligence, caused the spills in 2004 along the Trans-Niger pipeline that destroyed several hectares of mangrove forests and the livelihoods of the residents of Goi village.

Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd dismissed any suggestion that it knowingly continued to use a pipeline not safe to operate, a company spokesman told The Associated Press on Tuesday. Shell is preparing for the appeal hearing.

In a statement released Monday, Friends of the Earth Netherlands reported that Shell continued to pump oil through a corroded pipeline.