|
BP admits it faces criminal inquiry into Alaskan spill |
| Home | (The Guardian) - The reputation of BP took a beating yesterday, along with its share price, when the company admitted it was facing a criminal inquiry into a massive oil spill in Alaska. BP received a subpoena on April 26 from a federal grand jury in Alaska but only revealed the investigation, which could lead to prison sentences, after an internal email was leaked to journalists. Shares in Britain's biggest company slumped 3% in early trading on the back of the latest safety problem, which threatens to undermine its carefully crafted image as an environmentally responsible operator. Revelations about the investigation into the spill of 1.2m litres of crude into the Prudhoe Bay area follows a fire and 15 deaths at its Texas City refinery and a rig capsizing in the Gulf of Mexico. |