Swiss Criminal Court condemns the basic product company Trafigura in the case of Angola bribery

Geneva (AP) – Switzerland’s main criminal court condemned a multinational company on Friday for the first time, ruling against the products of the products of the basic products Trafigura in a case of bribery linked to the lucrative contracts of the oil industry in Angola.

The Federal Court in the southern city of Bellinzona gave it a fine of 3 million Swiss francs (around $ 3.3 million) for payments for a total of almost $ 5 million to a foreign public official. The court did not impose the maximum fine of $ 5 million, ruling that the company had compliance measures in force at that time, more than a decade ago.

The Court also ordered through a trafigura to set up $ 145 million for possible compensation claims. Prosecutors had argued that the firm reaped profits of almost $ 144 million thanks to the contracts that arose from the scheme.

A spokesman for trafigura said he was “disappointed” with the verdict and was “reviewing the matter”, without indicating whether the company planned to appeal.

With the headquarters in Singapore, Trafigura is one of the most prominent basic commercial firms in the world. It operates in sectors such as oil and oil, metals and mining, and gas and energy, with more than 12,000 employees.

The Court also condemned three people, a former high -level traffic light employee, a former official of the State Petroleum Company Angolan Sonangol and a former employee of the traffic that had acted as an intermediary, for his roles in the scheme. The heaviest prayer included 14 months after bars.

The verdict is not definitive and the defendants can appeal. They have the right to a presumption of innocence until a final decision is made.

In the trial that was opened in December, prosecutors alleged that the former matrix trafigura company had no “reasonable and necessary” measures at the time to avoid illegal payments to the former Sonangol employee.

The spokesman for Trafigura said that the company has invested “significant resources” to strengthen its compliance program over time, including mandatory training for all personnel, improve controls and decide to prohibit the use of third parties for commercial origin.

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