The chief executive of Petrofac – the N. Sea oil services provider – had a private meeting with the Brit-Govt finance minister long after Serious Fraud Squad started its investigations into bribery allegations involving the company.
The current affairs magazine Private Eye has reported that documents disclosed under Freedom of Information legislation confirm that Chancellor Phil Hammond, MP, met with Ayman Asfari on 13 March this year.
The purpose of the meeting was to talk about a ‘more favourable’ tax system for North Sea oil.
Asfari is a major donor to the Tory Party – he and his wife have handed over more than £600,000 to the party since 2009.
In May this year, Asfari was arrested by the Serious Fraud Squad and interviewed under caution, before being released.
However, the SFS investigation is continuing and the squad considers that ‘Petrofac has not been co-operative’ in the probe.
29 Sept 2017
Pixie Energy is an incubator and a facilitator of strategic research and project work, focusing on energy regulation, policy and markets at the local and national level. Find out more about Pixie Energy