Financial Times: Court rules on BP blast victims rights
By Sheila McNulty in Houston
Published: May 8 2008 00:19 | Last updated: May 8 2008 01:25
A federal appeals court ruled on Wednesday that the rights of victims in BPs fatal Texas City explosion in March 2005 were violated by US prosecutors who reached a secret plea agreement with the UK oil group late last year before consulting victims.
The appeals court refused to block the plea deal but sent it to the district court in Houston to take into account the victims rights to be consulted in this case before deciding whether to throw out the plea agreement.
Wednesdays court decision adds to BPs troubles in the US, where the House Energy and Commerce Committees investigations subcommittee is already probing whether the plea agreement is a strong enough deterrent, protects workers and takes into account victims rights.
The Texas City agreement was part of a $380m settlement BP made with US authorities to resolve cases being pursued by the US government following the Texas City explosion, which killed 15 people and injured 500 in and around the facility; a major spill and corrosion in its Alaska operations; and a propane scandal. The Texas City portion of the settlement involved a $50m criminal fine.
Tony Hayward, BPs chief executive, had sought to wipe the companys troubled US slate clean with the settlement. But victims in Texas have refused to let the case rest.
The victims do have reason to believe that their impact on the eventual sentence is substantially less where, as here, their input is received after the parties have reached a tentative deal, the Fifth Circuit panel of three judges said in its opinion with the ruling.
BP declined to comment.
? A dozen oil companies agreed to pay $423m in cash plus clean-up costs to settle litigation over groundwater contamination from the gasoline additive, MTBE, lawyers representing public water utilities and public agencies in 17 states, told Reuters.
The settlement, filed in the US District Court in Manhattan, involves BP America, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Shell Oil, Marathon Oil, Venezuelas Citgo Petroleum Corp, Sunoco and Valero Energy, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
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Royal Dutch Shell conspired directly with Hitler, financed the Nazi Party, was anti-Semitic and sold out its own Dutch Jewish employees to the Nazis. Shell had a close relationship with the Nazis during and after the reign of Sir Henri Deterding, an ardent Nazi, and the founder and decades long leader of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. His burial ceremony, which had all the trappings of a state funeral, was held at his private estate in Mecklenburg, Germany. The spectacle (photographs below) included a funeral procession led by a horse drawn funeral hearse with senior Nazis officials and senior Royal Dutch Shell directors in attendance, Nazi salutes at the graveside, swastika banners on display and wreaths and personal tributes from Adolf Hitler and Reichsmarschall, Hermann Goring. Deterding was an honored associate and supporter of Hitler and a personal friend of Goring.
Deterding was the guest of Hitler during a four day summit meeting at Berchtesgaden. Sir Henri and Hitler both had ambitions on Russian oil fields. Only an honored personal guest would be rewarded with a private four day meeting at Hitler’s mountain top retreat.
IN JULY 2007, MR BILL CAMPBELL (ABOVE, A RETIRED GROUP AUDITOR OF SHELL INTERNATIONAL SENT AN EMAIL TO EVERY UK MP AND MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS: 
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A head-cut image of Alfred Donovan (now deceased) appears courtesy of The Wall Street Journal.
