Bodo community in Rivers State has accused its British Solicitor and Senior Partner, Leigh Day & Co, Mr. Martyn Day, of short-changing over 14,000 beneficiaries in the £55 million compensation paid by Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in 2015.
The community in over a dozen correspondences between its representatives and the lawyer, copies of which were obtained by THISDAY, noted that as much as £30 million paid to the lawyer for further disbursement to the impacted residents remains unaccounted for.
Furthermore, the oil-producing Ogoni community noted that all efforts to ensure that Leigh Day makes available the documents, including the bank instruction as well as receipts used in making the payments hit a brick wall.
Members of the Bodo community had in 2012, filed a lawsuit against Shell in a London High Court, seeking compensation for two oil spills and losses suffered to their health, livelihoods, and land. In addition, they requested the clean-up of the oil pollution.
The over 14,000 plaintiffs maintained that the relevant pipelines caused spills because they were over 50 years old and poorly maintained, adding that Shell reacted too slowly after being alerted to the situation.
But in January 2015, Shell accepted its responsibility and agreed to a £55 million settlement after which the funds were routed through its British Lawyer, Leigh Day, who a representative of the community, Mr Timothy Sapira, alleged was holding back at least £30 million of the total money.
Efforts to get the lawyer to explain the circumstances surrounding the disbursement of the £55 million, the community said, had since 2015 proved fruitless, as the solicitor declined to respond to all their enquiries until recently.
In one of the official communication from the Bodo Council of Chiefs and Elders, signed by the Chairman, Chief John Vilola and Vice President, Chief Bernard Kiate, among others, the community leaders expressed frustration over the turn of events.
