It wasn't fifty million dollars, and no one can say for sure it was Shell

international | environment | other press

Friday August 10, 2007 20:48

by Moscow News Reader

Bribery offer linked to Sakhalin project

In a story from the Moscow News today, the deputy head of Russia's environmental agency denied that Shell had tried to bribe him by offering him fifty million dollars.

He wanted to state clearly that he couldn't say for sure that it was Shell, only that "someone" had tried to arrange a meeting with him in Switzerland to discuss the possibility of suspending enviromental checks on the Sakhalin project. No actual amount of money was mentioned either. So that's clear then.

It all brings to mind our own Frank Fahy, a former teacher who has managed to amass a huge property portfolio. Didn't Frank have some Moscow links of his own at one stage? see also www.indymedia.ie/article/76360

Oleg Mitvol, deputy head of Russia's osprirodnadzor environmental watchdog denied Thursday that he'd been offered a $50-million kickback by oil major Shell in exchange for halting environmental checks at the Shell-led Sakhalin-2 offshore oil and gas project in Russia's Far East.

"I received no letter from Shell offering a $50-million bribe," Mitvol told RIA Novosti.

On Thursday, Moscow's Tvoi den tabloid carried an interview with Mitvol quoting him as saying that he had been approached by Shell and offered the money to suspend the checks.

The official did admit, though, that he had been approached by some middlemen, "but definitely not Shell" with a proposal "to meet in Switzerland" and discuss the issue.

The actual amount of money was never mentioned, he added.

"Why should I have asked how much they were ready to offer if I wasn't going to take any of it?" the official said.

The official added that he had tried to explain to the author of the article that Shell was not involved in offering a bribe, but "apparently, the desire to write something sensational was stronger than the desire to write the truth."

Mitvol also said that the project operator, Sakhalin Energy, did make an attractive job offer to a member of the inspection team, an employee of Russia's Natural Resources Ministry.

The offer included a $30,000 monthly salary and authorization to run a $1.8 million budget for an advertising project. According to Mitvol, the employee, who's making 40,000 rubles (slightly over $1,500) a month in his current job, rejected the offer.

Following a series of tough environmental checks and constant pressure from authorities, Shell and project co-owners Mitsui and Mitsubishi agreed in April to cede parts of their stakes in Sakhalin Energy to gas giant Gazprom, which eventually took control of the project as the majority shareholder.

Moscow News

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Comments (3 of 3)

Oleg Mitvol is a very interesting man, like most of those he has powerful friends & enemies.

by triffid

Sat Aug 11, 2007 19:19

Here's his wikipedia stub - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oleg_Mitvol wherein you will note the name of Boris (indymedia regulars will recall the problems bzzting Boris).
You can't really make up your mind on the Sakhalin projects or Mitvol or Shell's role in the same without learning a little bit about them - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakhalin-II
At first Mitvol built a reputation for being just the sort of tough environmental cookie sensible people dream about on the Irish scene. A man who used his ministerial powers to bring surprise visits and inspections on environmentally damaging industrial activity (noting that the mid Asia region which was once united under the Soviet system is the most scarred human activity section of the planet). But that could have been just fluff - what is interesting is his attack on the billionaire suburbs of Moscow, which are legendary for their recently erected mansions and dachas and palaces none of which keep "equilibrium" with the surrounds.

some bits of Mitvol's career from the very same news-organisation (Moscow news) which the contributor above ave the impression they are a close reader of :-
Textbook Case
When Gazprom first said it wanted a stake, it could not reach agreement with Shell on a price. That is when Oleg Mitvol, the head of the Natural Resources ...
www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/12/20/007.html

Mitvol Tries to Allay Investors' Fears
Government environmental inspector Oleg Mitvol attempted to allay investors' concerns Tuesday, insisting his investigation into Shell's Sakhalin-2 project ...
www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/11/15/041.html

Mitvol Stops Construction Work at Moskva-City
As if taking on Shell, Alla Pugachyova and Moscow region Governor Boris Gromov was not enough, government inspector Oleg Mitvol has now trained his sights ...
www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2007/07/10/058.html
Mitvol Trashes Sakhalin Ecology Plan
The government may sue the Shell-led Sakhalin-2 group in international courts to ... Oleg Mitvol, deputy head of the Federal Service for the Inspection of ...
www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/11/13/041.html

Shell succumbed to months of creeping state pressure on Monday, ... Oleg Mitvol loves to grab the headlines. He barges onto private oil fields unannounced, ...
www.themoscowtimes.com/indexes/2006/12/12/01.html
Mitvol's Agency Hit by Infighting
... oil firms such as Shell, dissolved into infighting between officials Friday, ... Oleg Mitvol, the outspoken deputy head of the ministry's environmental ...
www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2006/12/11/045.html

_____________________________________

Recently we had news of grass-root opposition to high pollution stake development in the "far north east" of the Russian state as Nazi's thought by some to be hirelings of the Russian state killed an anarchist environmentalist- http://indymedia.ie/article/83558

cheapskates

by ed

Sat Aug 11, 2007 23:45

Fifty million dollars.
They could have bought twenty mayo county councils for that.

could?

by tnc - tnc corcaí

Mon Aug 20, 2007 14:22

they probrably did!

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It wasn't fifty million dollars, and no one can say for sure it was Shell

Comments (3 of 3)