Former polymer banknote manufacturer manager convicted on corruption-based charges
On the eve of Prime Minister David Cameron's anti-corruption summit, the fraud squad had a reason to celebrate – securing a conviction on corruption-based charges.
Peter Chapman, 54, a former manager of polymer banknote manufacturer Innovia Securency PTY, was convicted today on four counts of making corrupt payments to a foreign official, although he was acquitted on two further counts he had been charged with.
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) accused Chapman of bribing an agent of Nigerian Security Printing and Minting to convince them to purchase polymer substrate from his own company.
The total value of the bribes relating to the charges Chapman has been convicted of amounted to $205,000 (£141,752).
"This has been a long, detailed investigation and a complex prosecution involving assistance from a wide range of jurisdictions," said David Green, director of the SFO. "Crimes like this damage the UK's commercial reputation and this conviction shows that such activity will not be tolerated."
Chapman was arrested at Heathrow Airport in April 2015 after being extradited from Brazil, before being charged with the corruption-related offences later that month.
The trial lasted five weeks and sentencing is due to take place tomorrow.