Corrupt Payments To Public Officials - Printing company ordered to pay £2.2 million
A UK printing company, Smith & Ouzman Ltd, that had been convicted of making corrupt payments to public officials has been ordered to pay a total of £2.2 million.
The offences pre-date the implementation of the Bribery Act and the company (and two of its directors) were convicted under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906.
The company specialises in security documents such as ballot papers and exam certificates. It was convicted of making corrupt payments totalling £395,074 to public officials for business contracts in Kenya and Mauritania.
The company was ordered to pay a fine of £1,316,799, £881,158 to satisfy a confiscation order applied for by the Serious Fraud Office and £25,000 in costs.
The company’s chairman was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, suspended for two years, and was ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £4,500 under a confiscation order and £75,000 in costs.
The sales and marketing director was sentenced to three years imprisonment, subjected to a confiscation order of £18,693 and ordered to pay £75,000 in costs.
The sentences for both the company and the directors are, not surprisingly, significant. In passing sentence, Recorder Andrew Mitchell QC said “corruption of foreign officials is damaging to the country in which the corruption occurs, is damaging to the reputation of UK business and of course, in the market in which a business operates, it is anti-competitive.”
Posted on 02/01/2016 by Ortolan
