US Court Orders Chevron, BNP Paribas to Produce Documents on Disputed Oil Blocks

Ejiofor Alike A United States District Court of Harris County, Texas, has ordered Chevron USA Inc. and BNP Paribas Securities Corporation to produce all documents and correspondence between them or their employees or agents and the bidders of Chevron’s disputed Oil Mining Leases (OML) 52, 53 and 55 being contested by Brittania-U Nigeria Limited.

Brittania-U had dragged Amni International Petroleum Development Company Limited, Amni International Petroleum Production Services, Tunde Afolabi, Belemaoil Producing Limited, Belemaoil Producing Corporation and Jack-Rich Tein to the US court for ‘tortious’ interference in the bidding process for the three oil blocks.

Both Chevron’s and BNP Paribas are not joined in the suit but Brittania-U had filed notice of intent to subpoena all relevant documents from these two nonparties in accordance with Rules 205 of the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure.

Brittania-U claimed that Amni and Belema Oil interfered in a bidding process that had already been concluded, and submitted that by its various meetings and communications with Chevron, there was already an offer and acceptance between it and the oil giant.

According to Brittania-U, Chevron had already promised to give it the Sales Purchase Agreement (SPA) but while it was waiting for Chevron’s lawyers to revise the SPA as promised by a representative of the company, the oil giant suddenly signed an SPA with the Seplat Consortium.

Brittania-U urged the US court to compel Chevron and BNP Paribas to produce all the documents and communications between them and all the parties involved the bidding process to support its claims that the bidding process had been concluded with the plaintiff before Chevron signed the SPA with the consortium.

Judge Caroline Baker last week granted Brittania-U’s request and ordered Chevron and BNP Paribas to produce all the relevant communications between them and the bidders as requested in the subpoena.

In the court papers sighted by THISDAY, Brittania-U had in its notice of intent to subpoena documents requested Chevron to produce any written contract or agreement between it and Amni, Seplat Petroleum Development Company Plc, and Belema Oil, which was executed in the last five years.

Chevron was ordered to produce any press releases in its possession released by Amni, Seplat or Belema Oil, as well as any correspondence among any officers, employees or agents of Chevron, mentioning or discussing the bidding process, the oil blocks or Brittania-U.