a écrit le 2 septembre 2011 à 7h20 Sources close to the deal also said that the Government helped secure insurance for the Vitol shipments. It is thought that details of the Libyan oil cell emerged following briefings from those close to Mr Duncan. The minister is said to have described the cell as “the Duncan plan†to friends.
John Mann, a Labour MP, last night called for an inquiry and demanded to be told whether Gus O’Donnell, the Cabinet Secretary, had cleared the “extraordinary dealâ€. “This is the worst kind of government giving a company that paid Alan Duncan a secret deal,†he said. “It is just like the way Arab dictators behave. Or the way some of the American deals were done in Iraq after the war.â€
Last night, Downing Street officials said there had been no impropriety. They confirmed that Mr Duncan had attended meetings with Vitol as part of attempts to avoid a humanitarian crisis if rebel-held areas ran out of fuel.
“The Government did not lobby on Vitol’s behalf,†a spokesman said. “The company had an existing commercial relationship with the National Transitional Council. We are confident that the correct procedures were followed.â€
Vitol declined to comment. However, sources close to the firm said that, although the Government had “clearly been helpful†in facilitating the deal, the American government and others were also involved. “Many companies were asked to get involved, but no one else was prepared to step up,†said one source. “There was a payment and safety risk.â€
In 2008, it emerged that Mr Duncan’s private office was being funded by donations from the chairman of Vitol.
In the 1990s, Vitol paid $1 million to Arkan, a war criminal, to act as a fixer on a business deal in Slobodan Milosevic’s Serbia that had collapsed. In 2007, the company was fined over the oil-for-food scandal for dealing with the Iraqi government under Saddam Hussein. Vitol pleaded guilty to larceny in a New York court and paid $13 million to the Iraqi people in restitution.
Mr Duncan recently gave up a directorship in Arawak Energy, which was part-owned by Vitol and which he had registered with the parliamentary authorities.
John Mann, a Labour MP, last night called for an inquiry and demanded to be told whether Gus O’Donnell, the Cabinet Secretary, had cleared the “extraordinary dealâ€. “This is the worst kind of government giving a company that paid Alan Duncan a secret deal,†he said. “It is just like the way Arab dictators behave. Or the way some of the American deals were done in Iraq after the war.â€
Last night, Downing Street officials said there had been no impropriety. They confirmed that Mr Duncan had attended meetings with Vitol as part of attempts to avoid a humanitarian crisis if rebel-held areas ran out of fuel.
“The Government did not lobby on Vitol’s behalf,†a spokesman said. “The company had an existing commercial relationship with the National Transitional Council. We are confident that the correct procedures were followed.â€
Vitol declined to comment. However, sources close to the firm said that, although the Government had “clearly been helpful†in facilitating the deal, the American government and others were also involved. “Many companies were asked to get involved, but no one else was prepared to step up,†said one source. “There was a payment and safety risk.â€
In 2008, it emerged that Mr Duncan’s private office was being funded by donations from the chairman of Vitol.
In the 1990s, Vitol paid $1 million to Arkan, a war criminal, to act as a fixer on a business deal in Slobodan Milosevic’s Serbia that had collapsed. In 2007, the company was fined over the oil-for-food scandal for dealing with the Iraqi government under Saddam Hussein. Vitol pleaded guilty to larceny in a New York court and paid $13 million to the Iraqi people in restitution.
Mr Duncan recently gave up a directorship in Arawak Energy, which was part-owned by Vitol and which he had registered with the parliamentary authorities.
