Nine convicted in relation to £16 million and $21 million FH Bertling bribery cases
Stephen Emler and Giuseppe Morreale pleaded guilty for their part in a corrupt scheme to secure a ConocoPhillips freight forwarding contract, eventually worth over £16 million, for FH Bertling as part of the ‘Jasmine’ North Sea oil exploration project, it can now be reported.
Christopher Lane pleaded guilty to a separate bribery scheme involving overcharging, while Colin Bagwell was convicted by the Jury of exactly the same offence.
Paying over £350,000 in bribes and facilitation payments, FH Bertling executives made these transactions to ensure their bid for the ConocoPhillips ‘Jasmine’ shipping contract was successful and separately to obtain assurance that inflated prices it charged for additional services were waived through by ConocoPhillips staff.
These convictions add to the seven already secured by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) against former FH Bertling Group senior executives and the company, including Stephen Emler and Giuseppe Morreale, for a separate Angola bribery scheme.
In related proceedings, Georgina Ayres, Robert McNally and Peter Smith were acquitted of charges relating to the ‘Jasmine’ case on 27 November. Colin Bagwell was found guilty of conspiring with Christopher Lane in the overcharging scheme.