Halliburton’s plea deal for destroying evidence after 2010 Gulf oil spill under review
by Michael Kunzelman, The Associated Press
Firm was BP's cement contractor on drilling rig that exploded in Gulf, killing 11 workers
NEW ORLEANS—An American judge is set to decide whether to approve a plea agreement that calls for Halliburton Energy Services to pay a $200,000 fine for destroying evidence after BP’s 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
United States District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo can either accept or reject the Houston-based company’s deal with the Justice Department.
If she accepts it, she must impose the agreed-upon sentence.
Halliburton was BP’s cement contractor on the drilling rig that exploded in the Gulf, killing 11 workers.
Halliburton agreed in July to plead guilty to a misdemeanour charge of unauthorized destruction of evidence.
The company also agreed to make a $55-million contribution to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, but that payment wasn’t a condition of the deal.
