Four individuals convicted over a corruption plot relating to ConocoPhillips' Jasmine North Sea oil exploration project have avoided prison after the judge suspended the sentences.
In November 2018, Stephen Emler, then chief financial officer at FH Bertling UK Ltd, and Giuseppe Morreale, former managing director at FH Bertling UK Ltd, pleaded guilty to their parts in a conspiracy to make corrupt payments relating to a freight forwarding contract, as HLPFI reported here.
At the sentencing, Emler received an 18-month sentence and a concurrent 12-month sentence for two counts of conspiracy to make corrupt payments in connection with bribery plots to win oil shipping contracts in the North Sea and Africa.
Morreale was given a two-year sentence for his role in the North Sea contract conspiracy and a 15-month sentence for his role over corrupt payments linked to the African deal, which will also run concurrently.
The judge suspended all the sentences for two years. Neither were found to be responsible for instigating the alleged corruption.
Colin Bagwell, former Bertling chief commercial officer and Christopher Lane, who was head of logistics at oil company ConocoPhillips, received suspended sentences of nine months and six months respectively for a separate conspiracy involving overcharging.
