BP 'close to agreeing Deepwater deal with DoJ'
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/nov/15/bp-deepwater-horizon-plea-agreement
The Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico after an explosion killed 11 workers. Photograph: Getty Images
BP confirmed it is close to agreeing a deal over the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster with the US Department of Justice and is expected to plead guilty to criminal misconduct through a plea agreement, according to two sources familiar with discussions.
The sources, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said BP would plead guilty in exchange for a waiver of future prosecution. BP said on Thursday: "No final agreements have yet been reached and any resolutions, if agreed, would be subject to federal court approvals in the US." It stressed that until the final agreements had been made, it was not certain it would enter into any such resolutions. The justice department declined to comment.
The oil giant has been locked in months-long negotiations with the US government and Gulf Coast states to settle billions of dollars of potential civil and criminal liability claims resulting from the explosion on 20 April 2010 aboard the Deepwater Horizon rig.