On July 30, 2020, Stephen Whiteley, who served as Iraq territory manager for the Monaco-based energy services company Unaoil, was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment following his conviction in Southwark Crown Court on July 13, 2020 on one count of conspiracy to give corrupt payments, in violation of section (1) of the Criminal Law Act 1977 and section 1 of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906.
According to the evidence elicited at trial, during the post-war reconstruction of Iraq’s oil industry, Whiteley conspired with others to pay over $500,000 in bribes to Iraqi officials in order to secure a $55 million offshore mooring buoy supply contract on behalf of Unaoil and its clients. Whiteley’s co-defendant, Ziad Akle, was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment after being found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to give corrupt payments. At trial, the jury failed to reach a verdict with regard to a third defendant, Paul Bond; he will be retried in January 2021 for his alleged role in the conspiracy. A fourth individual, Basil Al Jarah, admitted to paying $6 million in bribes to Iraqi officials, and pleaded guilty in July 2019 to five counts of conspiracy to give corrupt payments. Al Jarah is scheduled to be sentenced in October 2020.