????英國石油公司（BP）與俄羅斯石油企業(yè)秋明石油公司（TNK）一個(gè)歷時(shí)7年的合作項(xiàng)目為這個(gè)英國石油巨頭帶來了滾滾利潤，但它在俄羅斯面臨的種種問題也同樣引人關(guān)注。恰恰在英國石油公司從秋明英國石油公司賺得數(shù)十億美元（僅2011年頭9個(gè)月，該公司就獲得了高達(dá)20億美元的利潤分紅）的時(shí)候，英國石油公司高層卻紛紛逃離俄羅斯，該公司駐俄辦事處已經(jīng)遭遇了兩次突然搜查，秋明石油公司還阻止英國石油公司與俄羅斯國有石油公司Rosneft之間的業(yè)務(wù)合作。英國石油似乎成了這家強(qiáng)大的俄羅斯公司的犧牲品——秋明石油公司正在篡奪一家公司的控制權(quán)，后者原本有望與前者進(jìn)行的平等。

????但10月底，一些秘密文件因一場正在持續(xù)的法律糾紛而浮出水面。文件顯示，甚至在英國石油決定與秋明石油公司進(jìn)行合作之前，該公司高層就發(fā)現(xiàn)這是一家無情且不誠實(shí)的俄羅斯公司，為了獲得利潤豐厚的能源資產(chǎn)的控制權(quán)，它可以不擇手段。

????這些文件包括英國石油公司內(nèi)部的電子郵件、公司報(bào)告、美國大使館的電報(bào)，甚至還有英國前首相托尼?布萊爾的信件。它們是加拿大Norex Petroleum石油公司發(fā)掘出來的。10年前，Norex公司第一次向聯(lián)邦法庭起訴秋明石油公司所有者，俄羅斯財(cái)團(tuán)AAR。Norex公司聲稱秋明石油公司盜取了一塊價(jià)值不菲的油田。因秋明英國石油公司現(xiàn)在擁有上述油田的所有權(quán)，英國石油最終也被卷入了這場法律糾紛之中。一位聯(lián)邦法官駁回了此案，聲稱這起案件不在其管轄權(quán)之內(nèi)。上個(gè)月，Norex公司向紐約最高法院（New York Supreme Court）提交了一份備忘錄，反對(duì)一項(xiàng)動(dòng)議，該動(dòng)議旨在駁回該公司最新提出的訴訟。本文所引用的所有電郵、備忘錄和報(bào)告均出自Norex公司上月提交的文件。

????當(dāng)被要求就Norex公司最近提交的文件發(fā)表評(píng)論時(shí)，英國石油公司一位女發(fā)言人以書面的形式回應(yīng)道：“Norex公司的指控所涉及的行為，均發(fā)生在秋明英國石油公司組建之前，跟英國石油公司沒有任何關(guān)系。”秋明石油公司的辯護(hù)律師斯科特?赫什曼聲稱：“聯(lián)邦法院已多次駁回了Norex公司的索賠請(qǐng)求以及他們提交的所謂證據(jù)。這起案件已于去年結(jié)案，秋明英國石油公司最終勝訴，Norex公司的請(qǐng)求被駁回。”

????無論到底誰是獲勝的一方，這些新發(fā)現(xiàn)的文件把英國石油公司描述為一家玩世不恭，將利潤置于審慎原則之上的公司。“2003年，英國石油公司決定跟‘魔鬼做交易’……以保護(hù)其在俄羅斯的利益，”Norex公司亞歷克斯?魯特桑格在一份聲明中如是說。一些公司治理團(tuán)體感到，Norex公司發(fā)現(xiàn)的這些文件理應(yīng)引發(fā)投資者的憂慮。“這似乎是英國石油公司存心冒險(xiǎn)，最終自食其果的最新例證，”公司治理評(píng)級(jí)機(jī)構(gòu)GMI公司研究主管金佰利?格萊德曼說。“無論是在深水平行線鉆探平臺(tái)（Deepwater Horizon），還是在俄羅斯，這家公司都做了盡職調(diào)查，但最終還是鋌而走險(xiǎn)。”

巧取豪奪的油田

????上世紀(jì)90年代，英國石油公司第一次見識(shí)到秋明石油公司的行事風(fēng)格。當(dāng)時(shí)，秋明石油公司和Norex公司正在爭奪一塊利潤豐厚、名為 Yugraneft的油田。Yugraneft油田歸Norex公司和Chernogorneft公司所有，后者是俄羅斯石油公司Sidanco的子公司。英國石油公司后來購買了Sidanco公司10%的股權(quán)，從而也獲得了這塊油田的部分權(quán)益。

????BP's problems in Russia have garnered as much attention as the gushing profits the company has made from an eight-year-old partnership with Russian oil firm TNK. Even as BP has raked in billions from TNK-BP -- $2 billion in dividends in the first nine months of 2011 alone – top BP employees have fled Russia, BP's Russian offices have been raided twice, and TNK has blocked BP from doing business with the Russian energy company Rosneft. BP, it seems, has been a victim of TNK, a powerful company that is usurping control of what was to be a partnership of equals.

????But documents, which surfaced at the end of October as part of an ongoing legal dispute, suggest that BP executives saw TNK as a ruthless and dishonest company that would stop at nothing to seize control of lucrative energy assets, even before BP decided to partner with the Russian company.

????The documents – including internal BP emails, BP reports, US Embassy cables, and even correspondence from former British Prime Minister Tony Blair – were found in discovery by an oil company based in Canada called Norex Petroleum. Norex first sued TNK's owners, AAR, in federal court a decade ago for allegedly stealing a valuable oil field. BP was eventually included in the legal dispute, since TNK-BP now owns the oil field in question. A federal judge dismissed the case, saying that it was outside her jurisdiction. Last month Norex filed a memorandum opposing a motion to dismiss a new lawsuit in New York Supreme Court. All emails, memos, and reports cited in this story were filed by Norex last month.

????When asked to discuss Norex's recent filing, a BP spokesman wrote: "The allegations from Norex involve conduct that pre-dates the formation of TNK-BP and had nothing to do with BP." Scott Hershman, a lawyer for the TNK defendants, said: "The federal courts have rejected Norex's claims and their supposed evidence multiple times in a case that was finally resolved last year in TNK-BP's favor with the dismissal of Norex's claims."

????No matter who wins the case, the documents found in discovery paint a picture of BP as a cynical company that put profits ahead of prudence. "BP decided to make a 'deal with the devil' in 2003… to protect its interests in Russia," Alex Rotzang, chairman of Norex, asserts in a statement. Some corporate governance groups feel that the documents found by Norex should worry investors. "This seems like the latest example of BP taking a calculated risk that goes wrong," says Kimberly Gladman, director of research at GMI, a corporate governance ratings firm. "Whether Deepwater Horizon or Russia, the company does due diligence, but gambles anyway."

A stolen oil field

????BP got its first glimpse of TNK-style justice in the 1990s, when TNK and Norex fought for control of a lucrative oil field called Yugraneft. Yugraneft was owned by Norex and Chernogorneft, a subsidiary of the Russian oil company Sidanco. BP later bought 10% of Sidanco, which also gave it a stake in the oil field.