UK court ends attempt by P&ID to upturn Court judgement favouring Nigeria

Process and Industrial Development’s bid to set aside a previous judgement reversing the company’s $11 billion damages claim against Nigeria has been rejected by an English Court of Appeal.

Premium Times reports that P&ID, a company owned by two Cayman Island-based entities, was told by Lord Justice Snowden, a justice of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales and the lead judge in the suit, that the decision of a British high court on the matter last December stands.

The verdict was delivered unanimously with other judges such as Lord Justice Snowden and Sir Julian Flaux.

P&ID was also challenging the decision of Robin Knowles, the judge who dismissed the damages claim, to deny it permission to appeal the previous judgement.

In one voice, the three judges granted P&ID’s prayer for permission to appeal and promptly dismissed it, according to a copy of the Friday ruling, seen by the online media.

“I would therefore grant P&ID permission to appeal, but would dismiss the appeal,” Mr Snowden said while reading the decision he reached with his two other colleagues.

Succinctly put, the appeal dismissed by the court was P&ID’s bid to reject the ruling freeing Nigeria from paying the company the damages.

The court also rejected the prayer of the company, requesting it to set aside a ruling by the lower court regarding the currency in which the payment of the legal costs Nigeria incurred in the case.

P&ID’s contention was whether Robin Knowles, the judge who asked the company to pay Nigeria £43 million as legal fees and disbursements when the decision was made seven months ago, was in order in declaring that the payment be made in pounds sterling.

Meanwhile, the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) hailed the decision of a United Kingdom (UK) agreeing to Nigeria’s claim of cost after the voiding of the $11billion award got against the country by Irish firm, Process and Industrial Development (P&ID).

In a statement on Friday by his spokesman, Kamardeen Ogundele, the AGF said he was delighted about the development, which was just communicated to him by Nigeria legal representatives in the UK

The statement reads, “This was another misconceived and desperate attempt by fraudsters to deprive the Nigerian people of hard-earned public revenue.

“The Hon. Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef O. Fagbemi, SAN is delighted at a report just received from our UK solicitors on the latest victory recorded by Nigeria in its fight against corruption and extortion by litigation hawks.

“Consequent upon our success in defeating the fraudulent USD 11 billion claim by P&ID last year, Nigeria is continuing its efforts to recover its substantial costs from P&ID and its vulture fund backers.”