MENU
MENU
Posted in BP British Petroleum,Deepwater Horizon,Louisiana Maritime News,Maritime Accidents,Maritime Law,Maritime Lawsuits,World Maritime News on January 10, 2012
According to The Wall Street Journal, the first criminal charges are being prepared by U.S. prosecutors against BP employees stemming from the Deepwater Horizon disaster that occurred on April 20, 2010. The explosion killed 11 oil rig workers who were aboard the Deepwater Horizon at the time of the explosion.
Fox News reports:
Prosecutors are focused on several Houston-based engineers and at least one of their supervisors at the British oil company, though the breadth of the investigation isn’t known. The prosecutors assert the employees may have provided false information to regulators about the risks associated with the Gulf of Mexico well while its drilling was in progress, these people said.
The felony charges-which might be disclosed early in 2012, if they are brought-could involve providing false information in federal documents, these people said. A conviction on such a charge carries a penalty of up to five years in prison as well as a fine.
Legal experts say BP itself is expected to face broader criminal charges, including violations of the federal Clean Water Act; the company already is appealing what could amount to $36.6 million in administrative fines levied by U.S. regulators for safety violations. The size of the fines hasn’t been finalized.
The DOJ may decide not to bring charges but instead use the threat of charges in an attempt to pressure the individuals to cooperate in the investigation.
BP spokesman Daren Beaudo said the company has stated that it believed the accident was caused by a combination of events that involved multiple parties, not just BP.