BRITISH COMPANY BRIBES AFARI GYANS EC TO GAIN LUCRATIVE CONTRACT PRINTING BALLOT PAPERS ... ================== The bosses of a family-run ballot paper printing firm used the word chicken as code for the bribes they allegedly paid to African public officials, a court heard. Christopher Smith, 71, the chairman of Smith & Ouzman Ltd, and sales director son, Nicholas Smith, 42, allegedly lined the pockets of overseas officials to score lucrative contracts. International sales manager, Tim Forrester, 47, and company agent, Abdirahman Omar, 38, are also said to be involved in the alleged plot, between November 2006 and December 2010. They paid £433,000 worth of bribes to public officials in Mauritania, Ghana, Somaliland and Kenya, Southwark Crown Court was told. Among the organisations targeted were the Interim Independent Electoral Commission of Kenya, the Kenyan National Examination Council, the Mauritanian Ministry of the Interior and the National Electoral Commission of Somaliland, it is said. The publicly funded bodies, which are financially supported by their taxpayers or foreign aid, ended up paying inflated prices for the printing work from the company. Prosecutor Mark Bryant-Heron QC showed the jury emails relating to the Interim Independent Electoral Commission of Kenya (IIEC) where promises of chicken were made. Company director Christopher Smith denies the IIEC were paid bribes and said chicken referred to a payment, jurors were told. It meant an ordinary payment that S&O would make to Trevy in good faith, added Mr Bryant-Heron. Trevy James Oyombra was an on-the-ground agent in Kenya for S&O and was paid commission for generating business for the printing company. One email from an official at the IIEC to Trevy said they were desperate for chicken, jurors heard. In an email from Trevy to Christopher Smith on 29 December 2008, Trevy details a meeting and confirms he has promised a public official chicken, it was said. Hello Smith, I was successful in the mission - two hours of his time, we spoke at length, he was also surprised I knew a lot of procurement regulations and loopholes..., wrote Trevy. Well he has given me a lot of back information that would be helpful to you. First he asked me if you were a nice guy and if you gave chicken and yes, I told him that is why I was there. He is very comfortable working with me because I told him we have to work with you and you will make that change in his life. There was also a suggestion to increase costs in a reasonable manner and emails confirming we will definitely give them the chicken, jurors heard. Mr Bryant-Heron said: May I suggest there has been some discussion as to the timing of the payment of the chicken - whether it was before or after awards. But the chicken - bribes isnt it? That is the prosecutions case. Smith and Ouzman is a specialist printing firm based in Eastbourne but with substantial business interests in Kenya, Ghana, Mauritania, Ghana, and Somaliland. They print secure documents including ballot papers and exam certificates. It is alleged the defendants and agents employed on the ground made a series of corrupt payments to officials and employees working for public institutions in those countries to win contracts. Mr Bryant-Heron said the scale of the corrupt payments ranged from about £330,000 relating to deals in Kenya to about £12,000 for bargains struck in Ghana. The total level of corrupt payments alleged in this case is around £433,000. In return the company won lucrative contracts, in one case securing contracts worth £1,377,257, jurors were told. Agents were employed on the ground to assist with pitching for the sought-after deals. But the company used inflated commission payments to mask criminal bribes to public officials who could influence the outcome of a deal, it is said. There is also evidence of direct payments to government officials in Mauritania, the court heard. Mr Bryant-Heron said: These institutions that have been referred to are funded by their governments and therefore their taxpayers, or in some case by international aid or a combination of both.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Nov 2014 17:11:38 +0000
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