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Hubris, lies and the gay affair that brought down BP boss
Last updated at 17:37pm on 02.05.07
Lavish gifts: Lord Browne had a four-year relationship with Jeff Chevalier and was said to have made substantial payments to him
The 59-year-old, once one of Britain's most powerful businessmen, could face a charge of perjury or perverting the course of justice.
He will also lose £15 million in cash and shares he would have received if he had retired, as he planned, in July.
Read Lord Browne's statement in full here
Read the Mail on Sunday's full response to Lord Browne's statement here
Browne, once known as the "Sun King" of the oil industry, stood down after losing a four-month legal battle against the Mail on Sunday newspaper.
He had tried to keep secret allegations that he misused BP funds, facilities and staff to help run a mobile phone business for his then gay lover, Jeff Chevalier.
But a ruling handed down by Mr Justice Eady yesterday laid bare the scandalous lies Lord Browne had been prepared to tell to protect himself from the scrutiny of shareholders and the BP board.
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He lied to the court about how he met 27-year-old Mr Chevalier - they split up last year after four years together - and falsely accused the young Canadian of having drink and drug problems.
Lord Browne had claimed in court that his right to privacy was being invaded, even though many of Mr Chevalier's allegations involved his business activities.
They included claims that:
• BP computers and support staff were used to run Mr Chevalier's business.
• BP executives were persuaded to act as directors in the lover's company.
• Browne's personal assistant acted as the Canadian's secretary and a senior BP employee carried cash between the lovers.
• The BP boss paid for a university course in Britain so his partner could stay in the country on a student visa.
• Lord Browne paid for renovations to his flat in Venice with cash and "dodged" a tax bill - an allegation he vehemently denies.
Mr Chevalier, a computer operator from Toronto, shared Browne's millionaire lifestyle for four years, staying in luxury homes - including one owned by a "well-known entertainer" rumoured to be Sir Elton John - travelling by private jet and wearing £2,000 designer suits.
He became Browne's acknowledged partner and was invited to high-profile dinners with friends and contacts, including Peter Mandelson, formerly Tony Blair's senior aide and now a European trade commissioner.
Browne also told him details of conversations he had with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
The life peer - ennobled by Mr Blair in 2001 - fought in the High Court and Appeal Court in a bid to gag Mr Chevalier before finally running out of legal options this week.
His defeat meant the lifting of an injunction which had prevented any details being published.
In the course of his disastrous legal action, Lord Browne lied for two weeks about how he met Mr Chevalier, claiming their paths crossed by chance while he was "exercising in Battersea Park" near his five-storey Chelsea mansion.
It was, according to Mr Justice Eady, a "deliberate and casual lie". But the judge banned the true version of their meeting from being disclosed.
In an attempt to smear his former lover and discredit his evidence, Lord Browne told the court Mr Chevalier was "a liar, unstable and adversely affected by dependence on alcohol and illegal drugs".
But medical records proved this was false, and a clearly angry Judge Eady was scathing in his assessment of Browne's testimony.
He accused the BP boss of launching a pre-emptive strike against Mr Chevalier's credibility "so that, when his evidence was submitted, I should be pre-disposed to reject it."
The judge went on: "I am not prepared to make allowances for a 'white lie' told to the court in circumstances such as these - especially by a man who prays in aid his reputation and distinction and refers to the various honours he has received under the present government when asking the court to prefer his account.
"It may be that it should be addressed as contempt or as some other form of criminal offence."
The judge said later he would not be taking the matter further but The Mail on Sunday, sister paper of the Daily Mail, which is seeking to publish Mr Chevalier's account, announced it will be making its evidence on the case available to the Attorney-General.
A spokesman said: "The Mail on Sunday deplores the fact that, despite lying to the court, Lord Browne was granted an injunction suppressing information of great importance both to the millions of Britons who, through their pensions, are shareholders in BP, and to the tens of thousands who work for the company.
"It was in seeking an injunction to suppress this story that Lord Browne lied about his private life, thereby making it central to the case.
"By exploiting the legal process to delay publication of his lie to the court, Lord Browne has prevented further important information about his stewardship of BP and misuse of company facilities from being made known either to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board inquiry into the Texas City oil refinery disaster [which killed 15 people in March 2005], or to shareholders challenging his pension package at the company's recent AGM."
Lord Browne, who was due to retire in July after 11 years as chief executive and 41 years with the oil company, said last night it was a "matter of deep regret" that he lied over how he met Mr Chevalier.
But he insisted the Canadian's allegations were "full of misleading and erroneous claims. In particular, I deny categorically any allegations of improper conduct relating to BP."
BP confirmed it had reviewed allegations of misuse of company assets but concluded they were "unfounded or insubstantive."
Lord Browne said he was resigning to "avoid unnecessary embarrassment and distraction" to BP. His designated successor, Tony Hayward, will take over immediately.
The outgoing BP boss said: "I have always regarded my sexuality as a personal matter, to be kept private. It is a matter of personal disappointment that a newspaper group has decided that allegations about my personal life should be made public."
Reader views (7)
Here's a sample of the latest views published. You can click view all to read all views that readers have sent in.
Maybe the £15 million could be given to an environmental charity. It was an obscene amount and is now surplus to requirements.
- Michael, London
What amazes me is this spin that he build-up the company over 40 years. On his own? What about all the other BP workers? At the end of the day he was caught lying (in court). Any 'lesser' employee would not escape so lightly and with such reward.
- Philip, London, England
Minnie, how exactly is blatantly lying in court (three times), and "casually" attempting to trash the reputation of another person, understandable?
- Steve R, London, UK
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