P&ID Judge, Robin Knowles, Awarded £95,000 Damages Against David Hundeyin In Defamation Case

As the court ruling against David Hundeyin, publisher of West Africa Weekly continues to gain traction, it is instructive to note that Justice Robin Knowles, the judge who ruled against David Hundeyin in his defamation case is the same person who ruled For Nigeria in the P&ID case in October 2023.

Hundeyin’s defamation ruling comes after Charles Northcott, a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) journalist alleged David defamed him, in an article titled “Journalism Career Graveyard”, thus bringing his name to disrepute.

Nigeria’s P&ID Case

In 2010, P&ID and Nigeria signed a 20-year GSPA, giving P&ID the right to refine Nigeria’s natural gas to generate electricity for the country. P&ID had little experience in the oil and gas industry but was owned by two Irish businessmen who had done business in Nigeria before.

In 2012, P&ID filed an arbitration against Nigeria, claiming that Nigeria had failed to provide the promised infrastructure and gas. In 2017, the arbitration tribunal ruled in favour of P&ID, awarding it approximately $11 billion in damages plus interest against Nigeria.

Nigeria challenged the award in the English Commercial Court, alleging that the deal was procured through corruption and that P&ID had bribed Nigeria’s lawyers.

Court Overturn

However, in October 2023, Justice Robin Knowles of the British High Court of Justice, vacated P&ID’s $11 billion award after Nigeria tendered evidence exposing P&ID’s behavior. Documentation of payments and communication revealed that P&ID bribed a Nigerian official to secure the GSPA contract. The same Nigerian official was then coaxed throughout the arbitration hearings to hide P&ID’s alleged wrongdoings.

Furthermore, it was noted that P&ID and its lawyers had procured numerous confidential documents “leaked” to it during the arbitration proceedings. The documents formed the basis of P&ID’s legal strategy, allowing it to prevail over Nigeria. Based on this record, Judge Knowles ruled that the award was obtained through abuse of the arbitration process and should not be enforced.

Significance

If the precedent of Justice Knowles is considered, his judgment on the Hundeyin case is expected to be followed by the latter. He is a senior member of the British bench and has presided over numerous high-profile cases over the years.

Hundeyin has been bullish in the face of the ruling but might have to consider taking the ruling seriously judging by the capacity and precedent of the judge who ruled in the case.

 

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