BP under investigation over Deepwater Horizon `lies`
31st May 2012
BP Plc (NYSE: BP) is under investigation over statements made by company representatives to Congress about the amount of oil leaking from the Macondo well after the Deepwater Horizon disaster.
The Wall Street Journal reports federal prosecutors are examining BP officials’ statements to Congress and have explored whether engineers withheld data from the government. The Journal claims to have reviewed emails from BP engineers indicating data should not be shared "outside the circle of trust."
Attorneys for those engineers declined to comment.
The investigation could affect BP’s final bill for civil fines under the U.S. Clean Water Act. The government estimates about 4.9 million barrels of oil spilled in total, in which case BP could pay between $5.4 billion and $21 billion in fines. BP estimates the amount spilled at 20 percent to 50 percent less than the government’s figure.
Whether BP can be considered grossly negligent also factors into the total amount of the fines
[source: Wall Street Journal] http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303395604577432303209861044.html