BP Admits It Lobbied British for Libyan Prisoner Transfer

-

While seeking a billion dollar oil exploration deal with Libya, BP executives admitted Thursday the company did lobby the British government to enter into a prisoner transfer agreement with the African nation.

"BP told the UK government that we were concerned about the slow progress that was being made in concluding a Prisoner Transfer Agreement with Libya," BP said in a statement.

"We were aware that this could have a negative impact on UK commercial interests, including the ratification by the Libyan government of BP's exploration agreement."

But the petroleum giant claims it never specifically asked Britain to set free Pan Am Flight 103 bomber Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi. 

"BP was not involved in any discussion with the U.K. government or the Scottish government about the release of al-Megrahi," a BP company spokesman said.

Megrahi was convicted for helping plant the bomb that killed 270 people in 1988 -- 243 passengers and 16 crew members and 11 people on the ground in Lockerbie, Scotland.

He was released on "compassionate" grounds when Scottish authorities said his "terminal" prostate cancer gave the terrorist just three months to live. 

But a year later Megrahi is free in Libya and the doctor who gave the diagnosis admits the bomber could live 10 or 20 more years -- and that he had been paid by the Libyan government.

Numerous U.S. senators, including Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) now suspect Megrahi's release was connected to BP's goal of securing an oil deal with Libya.

"This is ugly," said Bert Ammerman, the former head of the Victims of Pan Am Flight 103 group.  "It is immoral. It is unethical. It is illegal.  And there's no question there is a connection between the BP oil agreement with Libya and the release of al Megrahi."

Ammerman added he wants an investigation into what the Obama administration knew about this alleged deal before it happened.

Libyan officials have said any oil deal would be connected to a completed prisoner transfer agreement.   Al Megrahi was released last year and was greeted by flag waiving crowds when he arrived home.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday she was reviewing the request by the Senators to investigate the BP oil deal with Libya and any alleged connection to the release of the Pan Am 103 bomber.

NBC NY

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Huge Japan Quake Cracked Open Seafloor

-
The March 2011 megaquake off the coast of Japan opened up fissures as wide as 6 feet (3 meters) in the seafloor, a new study finds. The fissures now scar the seafloor where peaceful clam beds once lay, according to Takeshi Tsuji, a researcher at Kyoto University in Japan . Along with seismic studies, the fissures, revealed by manned submersible vehicles that investigated the seafloor after the quake, show how the crust around the quake's epicenter expanded and cracked.
Read more

Index for a million documents on Polish Jewry to go online

-
Researchers of Polish Jewry are set to gain online access to more than 1 million new documents following an agreement signed by the Polish State Archives. Under the agreement signed last week, Jewish Records Indexing-Poland will receive indices to the documents from the Polish archives authority and place them on the website of the online database within one year, a JRI-Poland statement read.
Read more

A lot of the bread in the US will no longer be kosher

-
The largest baking company in the United States will be removing kosher certification from nearly all of its bread and rolls. Bimbo Bakeries USA confirmed to JTA that it will be removing the certification. The company produces brands including Arnold, Sara Lee, Stroehmann, Freihofer’s and others. Two of its major brands, Entenmann’s and Thomas, will remain certified kosher. So, kosher eaters, your crumb doughnuts and English muffins are still safe. A couple of rye breads also will retain their certifications. “Removing the kosher certification from some of our products was strictly a business-process decision to enable more efficient operations, and it was one we did not make lightly,” Bimbo said in a statement. “Thomas’ and Entenmann’s products as well as Arnold’s and Levy’s Rye Breads will remain kosher-certified. It is important to note that we have heard our consumers’ concerns and are working with kosher certification organizations and discussing alternative solutions.” The c
Read more