A couple behind a collapsed oil refinery pocketed a $5m (£3.65m) dividend from their business last year despite the company suffering nearly $30m worth of losses.
Sanjeev Kumar and Arani Soosaipillai were given the money as owners of Prax Group, the firm behind the Lincolnshire-based Lindsey Oil Refinery.
The dividend was dished out at group level, rather than by the immediate refinery business.
The group suffered a loss of $28.6m in 2024, with bosses admitting operations had been “challenging”.
The business collapsed on Monday, prompting the Government’s Insolvency Service to intervene to maintain its operations.
However, the refinery's future could be at risk if the Insolvency Service fails to find a private sector buyer, sparking concerns over the wider UK energy network.
The government is likely to scrutinise the payout to the Lindsey refinery's bosses as the they scramble to determine how a core part of the UK's energy infrastructure was allowed to collapse.
Lindsey is one of just five major refineries left in the UK, and its collapse comes after Grangemouth refinery was closed by Petroineos in Scotland earlier this year.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband wrote to the Insolvency Service on Monday to “demand an immediate investigation into the conduct of the directors, and the circumstances surrounding this insolvency”.
Energy minister Michael Shanks said the development was "deeply concerning", adding that workers have been "badly let down".
He added: "The secretary of state is today writing to the Insolvency Service to demand an immediate investigation into the conduct of the directors, and the circumstances surrounding this insolvency.
"The government will ensure supplies are maintained, protect our energy security, and do everything we can to support workers and the local community, including engaging with trade unions and industry bodies.
"The company has left the government with very little time to act."
Lindsey refinery is based on a 500-acre site five miles from the Humber Estuary. Its collapse comes amid a decline in oil refineries nationwide.
About 180 people work are employed by State Oil Ltd, Prax Group's parent entity, with around 440 more working at the Prax Lindsey Refinery.
It supplies more than one tenth of the country’s fuel supplies, from petrol and diesel to fuel, oil and kerosene.
