BP ex-chief ‘will not testify’

THE outgoing chief executive of BP has refused US officials’ requests to appear at a hearing next month on the release of the Libyan man convicted of bombing Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie.

Tony Hayward told Senator Robert Menendez, in a letter that he is focusing on ensuring a smooth transition of leadership at the firm and will be unable to testify.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is looking into whether the British-based oil company had sought Abdelbaset Al Megrahi’s release to help get a $900 million (€707m) exploration agreement with Libya off the ground.

In the letter, obtained by The Associated Press, Hayward noted that British and Scottish officials said they found no evidence that BP played a role in Al-Megrahi’s release.