US demands Lockerbie info from BP

WASHINGTON: American senators have written to BP to demand it hand over records detailing how the company lobbied the British Government in the run-up to the release of the Lockerbie bomber.

The request came yesterday after BP issued a statement confirming it had spoken to the British Government in 2007 about the "slow progress" being made in negotiating a prisoner transfer deal with Libya.

The company is understood to hold minutes of two telephone conversations between Sir Mark Allen, a former senior MI6 official, and Jack Straw, the former Justice Secretary.

Within months of these communications, the Government agreed to a deal with Libya which paved the way for Abdelbaset al-Megrahi to be sent back to Tripoli. BP has since won valuable oil contracts in Libya and is poised to begin deep-water drilling in the country next month in a US$20 billion ($27.8 billion) deal.

In their letter, Senators Frank Lautenberg and Bob Menendez from New Jersey and Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand from New York, demand that BP "provide to Congress all materials related to BP's verbal or written communications with Libya, the UK, Scotland or other individuals or entities with regard to the convicted terrorist Abdelbaset al-Megrahi".

If BP refuses to release the information, the Senate could subpoena the documents.

- Telegraph Group Ltd