London — Royal Dutch Shell said it knew some of the $1.1bn paid to the Nigerian government in 2011 for an exploration licence would go to a company linked to the country’s former oil minister, changing its previous stance on a deal that’s under investigation for alleged corruption. The Anglo-Dutch oil company reiterated that its joint purchase of the licence with Eni was "fully legal" and that it paid no money to Dan Etete or his company Malabu Oil and Gas Ltd. Following the publication of internal e-mails showing staff discussed the risk that funds from the transaction could ultimately be used to pay off officials, on Tuesday Shell acknowledged that it was aware of the former minister’s involvement. "We knew that the Federal Government of Nigeria would compensate Malabu to settle its claim on the block," Shell said in a statement. "Over time it became clear to us that Etete was involved in Malabu and that the only way to resolve the impasse through a negotiated settlement was to en...
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