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Empresas y finanzas

Exxon selling Indonesia assets linked to lawsuit


    HOUSTON (Reuters) - Exxon Mobil Corp said it is selling natural gas assets in Indonesia associated with a recently revived lawsuit alleging human rights violations in that country.

    Exxon is selling its stake in three companies associated with the Aceh gas and liquefied natural gas (LNG) operation in Indonesia, the company said in a statement on Monday.

    The decision to sell is part of Exxon's practice of "continually reviewing assets for their contribution to ExxonMobil's operating and financial objectives," it said.

    In July, a federal appeals court reinstated the right of a group of Indonesian villagers to sue Exxon in the United States. The villagers accuse Exxon security forces of murder, torture and other atrocities in Aceh province between 1999 and 2001.

    The court ruled that companies are not immune from liability under a 1789 U.S. law known as the Alien Tort Statute for "heinous conduct" committed by their agents in violation of human rights norms.

    (Reporting by Anna Driver in Houston; editing by John Wallace)