Daniel Saba, the chairman of Perupetro, says that exploration is yielding results again after decades in which little was found.

ECONOMIST: Oil and gas in Peru

The company did not say if it knew that Mr. Quimper, who was providing its law firm with tax advice, was also a board member at PeruPetro.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: "Petrogate�� in Peru

Alberto Quimper, who is a board member of the state energy agency, PeruPetro, and who has responsibilities for overall regulation and licensing of the oil and gas industries as well as negotiating contracts with private companies for exploration and production was fired.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: ��Petrogate in Peru

Even if others are keen on a field, however huge, in pristine jungle nearly 500 kilometres and a mountain range from the populated coast, new bids would take time: Perupetro, the state oil firm, says it would take the rest of 1998 to prepare bidding specifications, under the government's new plan to divide the deal into three: operation of the field, the main pipelines, and distribution.

ECONOMIST: Seismic shock from Camisea