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UK businessmen imprisoned for Saddam kickbacks

by Matt Scuffham | Thomson Reuters Foundation
Thursday, 24 February 2011 18:59 GMT

A British businessman found guilty of helping finance former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's government was sentenced to 21 months imprisonment, the Britain's Serious Fraud Office said on Wednesday.

Richard Forsyth, former managing director of engineering firm Mabey & Johnson, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court, along with two former colleagues, having been found guilty of providing kickbacks to Saddam's government.

Forsyth and colleagues David Mabey and Richard Gledhill inflated the contract price for the supply of steel bridges and disguised illegal payments that were channelled through Jordanian banks, the SFO said in a statement

Forsyth and Mabey were found guilty of making illegal payments to Iraq during 2001/2 in breach of United Nations sanctions by a Southwark Crown Court jury earlier this month. Gledhill pleaded guilty to sanctions offences.

Mabey & Johnson had entered into a contract under the UK Oil-For-Food programme to supply 13 steel modular bridges. The illegal payments of more than 420,000 euro(£357,907) that secured the contract with the Iraqi government represented 10 percent of the total contract value, the SFO said.

Forsyth was sentenced to 21 months in prison and ordered to pay prosecution costs of 75,000 pounds. Former sales director Mabey was sentenced to eight months imprisonment and ordered to pay prosecution costs of 125,000 pounds.

Former sales manager Gledhill was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, suspended for two years.

(Reporting by Matt Scuffham; editing by Michael Roddy)

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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