Smith and Ouzman Ltd

On 22 December 2014 Smith and Ouzman Ltd, a company specialising in printing security documents, together with its chairman, Christopher Smith and its sales and marketing manager, Nicholas Smith, were convicted at Southwark Crown Court of corruptly agreeing to make payments totalling nearly half a million pounds. These payments were used to influence the award of business contracts in Kenya and Mauritania. Other defendants were acquitted. This was the first SFO trial resulting in conviction of a corporate for foreign bribery.

Christopher Smith and Nicholas Smith were sentenced in February 2015.

The company Smith and Ouzman Ltd, was sentenced and ordered to pay £2.2 million in January 2016.

Confiscation orders were also imposed on Christopher Smith and Nicolas Smith at the same time. Full details are shown in the confiscation section below.

Outcome of criminal case

Christopher John Smith was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, for two counts of corruptly agreeing to make payments, contrary to section 1(1) of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906, to run concurrently. He was also ordered to carry out 250 hours of unpaid work and has been given a three month curfew.

Nicholas Charles Smith, the sales and marketing director of the company, aged 43 from East Sussex, was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment for three counts of corruptly agreeing to make payments, to run concurrently.

The company Smith and Ouzman Ltd, convicted of making corrupt payments, was ordered to pay a total of £2.2 million.

Confiscation

On 8 January 2016 Nicholas Smith was ordered to pay a confiscation order of £18,693 within eight weeks and costs of £75,000 within nine months.

This order was fully satisfied on 29 February 2016. Christopher Smith was ordered to pay £4,500 in confiscation within seven days and costs of £75,000 within three months. This order was fully satisfied on 31 January 2016.

Smith and Ouzman Ltd were ordered to pay £2.2 million which is broken down into a confiscation order of £881,158 and a £1,316,799 fine. The confiscation order was satisfied in full on 30 June 2016. The company are also up to date in respect of the payment schedule set for repaying the fine. The company were also ordered to pay £25,000 costs, which has been also been fully satisfied.

Relevant jurisdictions

Ghana

Kenya

Mauritania

Somaliland

UK