Sentencing of bribery plot Scot delayed af ter ‘collapse’
‘They abused the system’
A SCOTTISH businessman convicted of taking part in a bribery plot to secure an Iraqi oil contract was taken to hospital only hours before he was to be sentenced.
Executives at Monaco-based oil company Unaoil hoped to secure highly lucrative contracts in Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in April 2003.
Stephen Whiteley, 64, from Aberdeen, and Ziad Akle, 45, were convicted of involvement in the scandal after ex-partner Basil Al Jarah, 70, admitted five conspiracy charges.
Akle was jailed for five years at Southwark Crown Court but Whiteley was admitted to hospital yesterday morning after ‘collapsing’ at his home.
He paid £4.6million in bribes to secure the oil industry contracts for their friends at a Dutch-based energy firm, SBM, and a Singapore company, Leighton Offshore, between 2005 and 2013.
Akle was Unaoil’s territory manager for Iraq, while Whiteley was a vice-president at SBM until 2009, before joining Unaoil as its manager for Iraq.
Unaoil helped SBM win a contract for the supply of single point moorings, or SPMs – floating systems that allow tankers to load oil offshore – by paying bribes to Oday Al Quoraishi, an official in Iraq’s stateowned South Oil Company.
He was at the helm of the oil firm and sold information to Unaoil which allowed them to approach suppliers and business partners who were viewed favourably by the firm’s board.
His inside information gave Whiteley, Akle, and Jarah an unfair advantage in approaching the contract. The consultancy also secured another deal for Leighton Offshore, to lay two pipelines and install the SPMs. Whiteley and Akle were convicted of conspiring to make corrupt payments in return for a lucrative contract for SPM equipment between 2009 and 2010.
During a complex three-year investigation the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) gained access to millions of sensitive documents to bring down the oil chiefs.
Prosecutor Michael Brompton, QC, said: ‘In all, Unaoil paid bribes totalling approximately $6million (£4.6million) to secure the two contracts, together worth approximately $800million (£650million).’
Whiteley and Akle were convicted after 19 days of jury deliberation.
Judge Martin Beddoe said: ‘The corruption went on to be very successful and very fruitful.’
Al Jarah, of Hull, earlier admitted five counts of conspiring to give corrupt payments to public officials.
Akle, of Marylebone, was convicted of two charges of conspiring to make corrupt payments. Whiteley was convicted of one count of conspiring to make corrupt payments.
SFO director Lisa Osofsky said: ‘They abused the system to... line their own pockets.’
Whiteley and Al Jarah will be sentenced at a later date.