BP has launched a new fraudulent claims hotline as it waits for judges to rule on the amount it has to pay out for compensation over the Deepwater Horizon spill.
The British oil giant went to court in the USA last week to argue that it is being forced to pay out for ‘fictitious, exaggerated’ claims following the 2010 Gulf of Mexico disaster.
But while the company waits on the three appeal judges to rule on whether it has been forced to pay out incorrectly, it has launched a hotline – 1-800-NO-2-FRAUD – in the US for people to report fraudulent compensation claims, and says those passing on correct tips could earn a reward.
“Tips received through the hotline will be reviewed and referred for further evaluation, if warranted, to fraud investigators at the Court Supervised Settlement Program, the National Center for Disaster Fraud, or other law enforcement agencies,” the company said in a statement.
“Tips that lead directly to an indictment, a recovery of money paid, or the denial of a claim because of fraud or corruption may entitle the reporter to a reward.”
The three judges who heard the company’s latest appeal over the compensation payments have not given an indication when they would rule on the decision.
Meanwhile a judge has ordered Anardarko Petroleum, which owned part of the blown-out well involved in the Deepwater Horizon accident, to face charges of defrauding shareholders.
Stakeholders in the company had accused Anadarko of mismanaging its 25% stake in the well, the majority of which was owned by BP.
However, Houston US District Judge Keith Ellison is restricting the terms of the case to a single statement concerning the well, rather than 28 statements they had alleged were misleading.
The statement by Anadarko senior vice president Robert Daniels came two weeks after the blowout. A spokeswoman for the company, which had been looking to dismiss the lawsuit, said it was reviewing the decision.
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