The Federal High Court in Lagos has ordered Shell Western Supply & Trading Limited to pay into the account of the court’s Deputy Chief Registrar the sum of $4.6 million which Shell keeps for Amni International Petroleum Development Company Limited.

It directed the Deputy Chief Registrar to pay the sums admitted by Amni – $3,571,637.68 and N271,138,207.57 – entered as judgment, directly to its creditor, SpringRock Energy Limited, in the bank’s account nominated by them within five days.

The order followed the applications filed by SpringRock through its team of counsel, led by Olumide Aju (SAN), and counter-arguments by the defendants’ counsel Olumide Sofowora (SAN).

Justice Akintayo Aluko gave the order along with others on October 28 in a judgment on a suit filed by SpringRock Energy Limited and SpringRock Energy Limited Mauritius as first and second plaintiffs/applicants.

In the ruling obtained by The Nation, the defendants/respondents are: Amni and Amni International Petroleum Development Company 52 Limited and five Mareva parties comprising Shell and four banks.

The court also granted the plaintiffs/applicants three other reliefs.

In all, the court decided three applications – two of them filed by SpringRock and the third filed by Amni.

The court refused Amni’s application of August 17, 2022, praying it to dismiss the Interim Mareva Order. It awarded costs and ruled in favour of SpringRock.

The court granted SpringRock’s application of July 5, 2022, seeking a grant of Mareva orders against Amni and all prayers contained in the application.

On the application of SpringRock, dated October 6, 2022, praying the court to enter judgment on the sum already admitted by the Amni in the claim, Justice Aluko granted the application as prayed.

By the judgment, SpringRock is entitled to the sum admitted by Amni while the outstanding sum in the claim will remain in the account of the court, pending when Amni and SpringRock clarify and agree on the actual disputed invoices that Amni raised.

Justice Aluko adjourned till December 12, 2022 for parties to report on the reconciliation to be carried out over the outstanding sum still in dispute.

THE NATION