Serious Fraud Office Secures First Contested Conviction For Overseas Corruption

A court in the United Kingdom recently sentenced four former employees of Innospec, Ltd. for conspiracy to commit corruption. Two of the four employees had pleaded not guilty, but were convicted. Their convictions are considered to be a milestone for the Serious Fraud Office, as they were secured in the first contested case brought by the SFO regarding the bribery of foreign public officials. Companies should keep in mind that in the international arena, entities and individuals may not only be subject to US anti-bribery legislation, with its broad scope of applicability, but also to UK anti-bribery rules.

In October 2005, the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) launched an investigation into the UN Oil-for-Food programme and looked at possible corruption and sanction offences by Innospec, Ltd, a NASDAQ listed company based in the US. The DoJ brought its investigation to the attention of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in 2007. The SFO initiated its own investigation into