A leading UK bridge-building company appeared in court today to say it will plead guilty to charges of overseas corruption and breaching United Nations sanctions.

In a ground-breaking case for the Serious Fraud Office, Mabey & Johnson appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court to indicate it would plead guilty over charges that it bribed overseas officials.

Mabey is charged with offences relating to activities in Jamaica and Ghana between 1993 and 2001.

It is also charged over a breach of the UN sanctions during 2001/02 that applied to contracts in the Iraq “oil for food” programme during Saddam Hussein’s regime.

The case was brought by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and is the first prosecution brought in the UK against a company for overseas corruption.

It is also the first case relating to the UN’s “oil for food” : the SFO’s investigation was triggered by the firm’s appearance in a UN report on the “oil for food” scandal in Iraq.

Mabey was listed as one of the many firms said to have paid “kickbacks” to the Iraq regime relating to contracts for modular bridges.

Peter Burrell, representing Mabey, told the court that the firm intended to plead guilty to some of the charges against it.

The firm said after the hearing it planned to enter guilty pleas for charges of conspiracy to corrupt, as well as a charge relating to a breach of UN sanctions.

The case will now transfer to the Crown Court for sentencing later this year when company is expected to face a hefty fine.

In a statement released after the hearing, Mabey’s new managing director Peter Lloyd said: “We deeply regret the past conduct of our company and we have committed to making a fresh start, wiping the slate clean of these offences.

“The investigation has already involved significant costs for the company.”

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