Tweet
Mabey bribery? Bridge-building company confesses to influencing Jamaican and Ghanaian governments
Published: Saturday | July 11, 2009
Hibbert
As expected, British engineering company, Mabey and Johnson, confessed that it tried to influence officials in Jamaica and Ghana to get public contracts.
When reports surfaced yesterday that the Reading-based firm was expected to plead guilty, the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) reiterated its belief in the innocence of State Minister in the Ministry of Transport and Works, Joseph Hibbert, who has been implicated in the case. At the time, Hibbert was the chief technical director in the then Ministry of Transport and Works.
The politician was linked to the case last year when officials from the United Kingdom (UK) travelled to Jamaica as part of their investigation.
Hibbert's lead attorney, Ernie Smith, argued that the information supplied to him from investigators, which claims that up to £1 million changed hands, does not link his client to any form of misdeed.
pleaded guilty
A report posted on the British Broadcasting Commission's (BBC) website said Mabey and Johnson pleaded guilty to 10 charges of corruption and sanctions violation at the Westminster Magistrate's Court yesterday.
According to the BBC report, the company, which builds temporary bridges, paid more than £123,000 to Saddam Hussein's Iraq regime, violating the terms of the United Nations' oil for food programme. The firm has reportedly said it regretted its past conduct.
The case was brought by the UK's Serious Fraud Office. The successful prosecution is the first of its kind against a British company operating overseas. The BBC also reported that five of Mabey and Johnson's eight directors had resigned since the allegations came to light, and that, the company was likely to face a substantial cash fine when it returned to court for sentencing.
The UK's Financial Times said that Mabey's prosecution comes after years of attacks on London for its alleged hypocrisy in criticising poor countries over corruption, while failing to tackle the British companies and managers that feed it by paying bribes to win contracts.
tyrone.reid@gleanerjm.com
Published: Saturday | July 11, 2009
Hibbert
As expected, British engineering company, Mabey and Johnson, confessed that it tried to influence officials in Jamaica and Ghana to get public contracts.
When reports surfaced yesterday that the Reading-based firm was expected to plead guilty, the governing Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) reiterated its belief in the innocence of State Minister in the Ministry of Transport and Works, Joseph Hibbert, who has been implicated in the case. At the time, Hibbert was the chief technical director in the then Ministry of Transport and Works.
The politician was linked to the case last year when officials from the United Kingdom (UK) travelled to Jamaica as part of their investigation.
Hibbert's lead attorney, Ernie Smith, argued that the information supplied to him from investigators, which claims that up to £1 million changed hands, does not link his client to any form of misdeed.
pleaded guilty
A report posted on the British Broadcasting Commission's (BBC) website said Mabey and Johnson pleaded guilty to 10 charges of corruption and sanctions violation at the Westminster Magistrate's Court yesterday.
According to the BBC report, the company, which builds temporary bridges, paid more than £123,000 to Saddam Hussein's Iraq regime, violating the terms of the United Nations' oil for food programme. The firm has reportedly said it regretted its past conduct.
The case was brought by the UK's Serious Fraud Office. The successful prosecution is the first of its kind against a British company operating overseas. The BBC also reported that five of Mabey and Johnson's eight directors had resigned since the allegations came to light, and that, the company was likely to face a substantial cash fine when it returned to court for sentencing.
The UK's Financial Times said that Mabey's prosecution comes after years of attacks on London for its alleged hypocrisy in criticising poor countries over corruption, while failing to tackle the British companies and managers that feed it by paying bribes to win contracts.
tyrone.reid@gleanerjm.com
Comment