BP Plc's Atlantis facility, its second-largest oil producer inthe Gulf of Mexico, remains unsafe and is operating under permitsBP obtained by lying to regulators, a whistleblower said in courtfilings.

“Immediate court action is needed to remedy unsafe conditions onAtlantis,” Mikal Watts, an attorney for former BP contractorKenneth Abbott, said in papers filed yesterday seeking a trial datein federal court in Houston, where the case has been pending since2009.

“BP has falsely certified compliance with critical environmentaland safety regulations” to pump billions of dollars in petroleumfrom the offshore facility, the lawyer said. “BP's corporate policyand practice is to buy its way out after it is caught and then doit again.”