The highest court in Switzerland has convicted the trading giant of Trafigura and one of the senior executives of bribery on the payments that the company entered to reach the profitable oil market in Angola.
In a historical case, the court handed over former British Operations Director Mike Windit – who also competes as a race driver – a 32 -month prison sentence and a fine of $ 148 million (119 million pounds).
This is the first time that an entire company has been accused by the highest court in Switzerland, and bribery convictions for senior employees are rare.
Trafigura's lawyers said that the company and Wamwright intends to appeal the ruling, so the previous executive authority was not imprisoned immediately.
The case against Trafigura had all the elements of financial excitement: millions of dollars, shadows mediators and a series of shell companies located in marine havens such as Virgin Islands.
The court heard that the Trafigura strategy would have established a complex payment network, during which an official was paid with the government oil company in Angola approximately $ 5 million (4.02 million pounds; 4.81 euros) between 2009 and 2011.
The documents submitted to the court by the Swiss prosecutors showed the authorized payments in the TRFIGURA private notebook.
It seems that the strategy is working: During the next few years, the court heard that Angola has signed contracts with Trafigura worth $ 144 million (115.93 pounds; 138.56 euros).
Trafigura, whose lawyer looked up in front of the verdict, denied bribery. The company said that its compliance and anti -corruption had been independently evaluated and found that it was excellent.
But the massive weight of evidence – which included dozens of documents, email messages and notes – revealed a different image: strict measures to combat corruption on paper, but a complex structure prepared to evade these measures in reality. In her heart, a mediator called “Master is incompatible” in the unidentified Geneva Office sat.
The issue will be sent cold through commodity brokers around the world, but especially in Geneva, where the headquarters is located in Trafgura and many of the role of basic commodity trading.
A strange coincidence, on the night before the delivery of the verdict, a fire broke out at the Five Stars Des Bergues Hotel – where the court documents showed that Angolan official remained at the Trafigura account in 2008.
Swiss prosecutors hope that the case will be a symbol that ends the old ways to do business.
They brought charges to the highest court in Switzerland, intended for the worst crimes, such as terrorist crimes.
Trafigura is now facing a big fine, and Win Enrayet, who was in court for the verdict and denied the charges, should be told at least one year of prison sentence for 32 months in prison.
However, he was not immediately detained, waiting for the appeal that he intends to submit.
