Legal Expert Says Case Should Serve As A Wake-Up Call To Businesses

Sweett Group Plc, has become the first company to be convicted under new bribery laws and has been ordered to pay about 2.25 million pounds at Southwark Crown Court. 

The British construction firm pleaded guilty to charges relating to them  paying bribes to win contracts in the Middle East, last December.

This afternoon Judge Martin Beddoe issued penalties on the firm, which included a 1.4 million-pound fine and the return of about 850,000 pounds in benefits derived from the illegal payments. 

The outcome of the case will be seen is a victory for the U.K. Serious Fraud Office (SFO), who have faced criticism for failing to secure any corporate convictions under new bribery laws since they were enacted in 2011.

The judge said that Sweett Group had “wilfully ignored” two KPMG reports in 2011 and 2014 which raised concerns about weaknesses in the company’s systems and controls.

In a statement released after the sentencing, Douglas McCormick, Sweett Group’s chief executive officer, said: “We have strengthened our internal systems, controls and risk procedures, and refined our strategy, to ensure this company should never again fall victim to such conduct.” 

Sarah Wallace, Partner and Head of Regulatory & Criminal Investigations at law firm Irwin Mitchell said that the outcome of the case should prompt businesses to ensure their anti-bribery compliance programmes were up to standard.