Five men have appeared today before the City of London Magistrates' Court charged with offences of conspiracy to corrupt. This follows a two-year investigation into allegations of corruption in relation to multi-million pound engineering contracts in the energy sector. The value of the contracts involved is £66 million.
The defendants are:
- Andrew Charles Rybak (age 54) of Newbury, Berkshire
- Ronald Gwyn Saunders (age 63) of Hook, Hampshire
- Philip John Hammond (age 56) of London
- Barry James Smith (age 70) of Farnham, Surrey
- Robert Bruce McWaters Storey (age 66) of Windlesham, Surrey
Outline
The prosecution has been brought following an investigation by the Serious Fraud Office in conjunction with the City of London Police into allegations that inside information was being offered to companies bidding for contracts in high-value engineering projects. Some of the defendants were employed by the companies responsible for the procurement of these projects and are alleged to have passed confidential information to others who then offered to provide it to companies bidding for the contracts in return for a percentage of the contract value. The aggregate value of the five contracts in question is £66 million and the charges relate to periods between 1 January 2001 and 31 August 2009.
