Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Does The Carlyle Group Want SemGroup Back?



Carlyle Group co-founder William Conway noted his dislike for a level playing field. Somehow, Carlyle lost affiliate SemGroup to bankruptcy. The energy pipeline firm wagered on energy prices, but bet the wrong way. They owed their bookie over $2 billion. France's Intelligence Online reported:



Freeh Group Wins Major Probe Contract

The
Freeh Group International firm headed by former FBI director Louis Freeh has been picked by the directors of the American trading concern SemGroup LP to conduct a sweeping inquiry into the bankruptcy of the company.

Ex-FBI Chief Louis Freeh leveraged his experience and contacts through his consulting firm. The Carlyle Group leverage political contacts to grow the federal book of its affiliates' business. That they've paired up wouldn't be a surprise. The question is which directors did the hiring? Is it the pre-bankruptcy group, loaded with Carlyle bigwigs? Or is the post declaration group, dominated by bond holders?

My guess is the former. Carlyle wants their company back, or to identify the villains who robbed them of their investment. They could get the answer for free, by looking in the mirror...