AP sources: Manslaughter charge explored in BP spill

Manslaughter and perjury are among possible charges that Justice Department investigators are exploring in the early stages of their probe into last year’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, say people familiar with the inquiry. These people say the Justice Department is not ruling out the possibility of bringing manslaughter charges against companies or managers responsible for the explosion aboard the rig that killed 11 workers. The department also is examining congressional testimony by company executives, including former BP CEO Tony Hayward, to determine whether their statements were untruthful, these people added. They cautioned that the investigation is still far from complete and spoke on condition of anonymity about the ongoing investigation. Justice Department spokeswoman Laura Sweeney declined to comment. Earlier this month, the department reorganized its oil spill investigation. It created a unified task force so investigators from its criminal inquiry and environmental divisions and from the U.S. attorney’s office in New Orleans can coordinate overlapping work of looking into civil violations and criminal culpability, should there be any. Deputy Attorney General James Cole ordered the move to avoid duplication of effort. Criminal division senior counsel John Buretta is leading the task force, and criminal division chief Lanny Breuer is supervising it. Bringing a manslaughter charge against a corporation is unusual but not unprecedented.