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Ex Bp Boss ‘may be charged with manslaughter’
Former BP boss Tony Hayward 'may be charged with manslaughter' over Gulf oil spill
By James Chapman
Last updated at 1:54 AM on 30th March 2011
Investigators to examine emails and other documents to determine what oil firm officials knew
Hate figure: Former BP chief executive Tony Hayward
Former BP chief executive Tony Hayward could face manslaughter charges in the U.S. over his role in the Gulf oil spill.
The Briton may be quizzed by investigators on whether decisions he made cut corners on safety and led to the disaster.
Eleven workers were killed in an explosion at the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, in the Gulf of Mexico, which precipitated an environmental disaster.
Possible charges include manslaughter, which carries up to ten years in prison.
Such a move would be unusual, as companies at fault in environmental catastrophes are usually hit with charges, not individuals. It would been seen as further evidence that the Obama administration is still going after BP.
Investigators are said to be looking at Hayward’s testimony before Congress, in which he stonewalled dozens of questions, to see if he implicated himself.
The same treatment will be given to a number of other BP executives but Mr Hayward is likely to be considered the prize ‘scalp’.
The 53-year-old became a hate figure in the U.S. following a string of gaffes after the spill on April 20 last year which sparked the worst environmental disaster America has seen. He was forced to quit after announcing that he ‘wanted his life back’.
