Ex-Petrofac Exec Pleads Guilty to Bribery Offenses

Update: Petrofac's statement included below the original article

Former senior Petrofac Ltd executive David Lufkin pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday to three further bribery offenses in relation to oil deals in United Arab Emirates (UAE), Britain's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said in a statement.

These charges are in addition to 11 charges of bribery already brought by the SFO, to which Lufkin pleaded guilty in February 2019.

The SFO said that the offenses related to corrupt offers and payments made to agents by Lufkin between 2012 and 2018 to influence the award of contracts to Petrofac in the United Arab Emirates worth approximately $3.3 billion.

"Total payments of approximately $30 million were made, or were due to be made, by Petrofac to those agents in connection with these contracts," the SFO said.

Petrofac did not immediately respond when contacted by Reuters for comment on Thursday.

Lufkin, a former global head of sales for the oil services firm, pleaded guilty in February 2019 to 11 bribery charges related to corrupt attempts to influence the award of contracts to Petrofac in Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

The case has been committed for sentence to Southwark Crown Court on 11 February 2021, SFO added. 

(Reporting by Aishwarya Nair in Bengaluru Editing by Chris Reese and Alexandra Hudson)

Petrofac on Friday morning released the following statement:

"The Serious Fraud Office has announced that a former employee of a Petrofac subsidiary has admitted additional charges under the UK Bribery Act 2010.  These charges relate to three historic contract awards in the UAE in 2013 and 2014.

Petrofac confirms that no charges have been brought against any Group company or any other officers or employees. A small number of former Petrofac employees are alleged to have acted together with the individual concerned, although none have been charged. No current Board member of Petrofac Limited is alleged to have been involved.

Petrofac's management is committed to operating at the highest standards of ethical business practice. Petrofac continues to engage with the SFO and will respond to any further developments as appropriate."

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