Three men jailed over the bribing of Indonesian and Iraqi officials

Prison sentences follow Serious Fraud Office investigation into bribes paid to increase sales of toxic fuel additive tetraethyl lead

The Guardian, Press Association, Monday 4 August 2014

Sentences passed down at Southwark crown court follow the payment of bribes
by Associated Octel, renamed Innospec, to officials in Indonesia and Iraq.
Photograph: Colin Mcpherson for the Guardian

Three men were jailed on Monday for their roles in bribing state officials in Indonesia and Iraq.

The sentences at Southwark crown court followed a Serious Fraud Office investigation into the payment of bribes by Associated Octel, subsequently renamed Innospec, to increase sales of the toxic fuel additive tetraethyl lead.

Dennis Kerrison, 69, of Chertsey, Surrey, was sentenced to four years in prison, Paul Jennings, 57, of Neston, Cheshire, to two years, and Miltiades Papachristos, 51, of Thessaloniki, Greece, to 18 months.

David Turner, 59, of Newmarket, Suffolk, was given a 16-month suspended sentence with 300 hours' unpaid work.

Kerrison and Papachristos had been convicted in June of conspiracy to commit corruption.

Jennings pleaded guilty in June 2012 to two charges of conspiracy to commit corruption and the following month to a further similar charge.

Turner pleaded guilty in January 2012 to three charges of conspiracy to commit corruption.

Judge Andrew Goymer said: "Corruption in this company was endemic, institutionalised and ingrained … but despite being a separate legal entity, it is not an automated machine; decisions are made by human minds.

"None of these defendants would consider themselves in the same category as common criminals who commit crimes of dishonesty or violence … but the real harm lies in the effect on public life, the effect on community and, in particular with this corruption, its effect on the environment.

"If a company registered or based in the UK engages in bribery of foreign officials, it tarnishes the reputation of this country in the international arena."

David Green, the director of the SFO, said: "This successful conclusion to a long-running investigation demonstrates the SFO's ability and determination to bring individuals committing crimes in the corporate arena to justice."

Innospec pleaded guilty in March 2010 to bribing state officials in Indonesia and was fined $12.7m dollars (£7.5m) in England with additional penalties being imposed in the US.