CORPORATE CRIME REPORTER
Tension
Building Between Hamel and Sporkin – Hamel Says He Was Approached to Be
BP Ombudsman
20 Corporate Crime Reporter 44, November 9, 2006
Tension is building between BP critic Charles Hamel and BP ombudsman Stanley
Sporkin.
Sporkin is a partner at Weil, Gotshal in Washington, D.C.
For months now, Sporkin and federal criminal investigators have been pursuing parallel investigations into whether BP told the truth to federal authorities when it said that a critical valve at its North Slope oil operations was reconditioned and hydrotested.
Hamel says that the valve was never reconditioned and hydrotested.
In fact, Hamel says, the valve was taken from the scrap yard and installed directly
into a new process water flow line.
That valve ruptured on December 4, 2004 – spilling 500 barrels of toxic water onto the tundra.
“I’m disappointed in the amount of time it has taken Judge Sporkin to scratch the surface of this investigation,” Hamel said.
Hamel said that two investigators – Sam Jones and Neal Berght – are on the North Slope in Alaska telling BP workers that they have a number of workers who will testify that in fact the valve in question was reconditioned and hydrotested.
Hamel says that Jones and Berght are telling people on the North Slope that they represent Sporkin – but leave no calling card or contact information behind.
Sporkin says the two are engineers who are working for him and are paid by BP.
When asked about Hamel’s claim that they leave no calling card or information behind, Sporkin says – “I doubt that very much – that’s not the way they operate.”
When asked how many workers have said that in fact the valve in question was reconditioned and hydrotested, Sporkin says – “I can’t get into the findings at this time.”
When will the report into the matter be finished?
“I would hope it would be finished rather soon,” Sporkin says. “There are a lot of things we want to check out. It’s an active investigation and it has a priority. I don’t pull punches. It’s going to be an interesting report. We’ll lay it all out. When Chuck Hamel says something, he has a pretty good track record. But just because Chuck Hamel says it’s true doesn’t mean it’s true. If you wait and see what we’ve got, you’ll be impressed.”
Has Sporkin talked with the federal criminal investigators looking into the matter?
“Me personally, no,” Sporkin says.
What about your people?
“I can’t get into that,” Sporkin says.
Hamel says that in July, he was offered the job of BP ombudsman – the job Sporkin currently holds.
Hamel says that Dan Lawn, a former Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation employee, called him and said that he and an attorney, Billie Garde, wanted to float a proposal to incoming BP President Bob Malone that they all go and work for BP – with Hamel being the BP ombudsman.
Under the proposal, Hamel would have to resign after six months.
“I told them I would never work for BP,” Hamel said.
Hamel
says that a few months later, Garde, now working directly for BP’s Malone,
offered the job to Sporkin – and Sporkin accepted.
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