SFO charges two in Unaoil bribery investigation

The UK Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has charged two individuals in relation to the global Unaoil bribery and corruption investigation. Ziad Akle and Basil Al Jarah were both, on 16 November, charged with conspiracy to make corrupt payments to secure the award of oil contracts in Iraq to Unaoil’s Dutch client SBM Offshore. A third man, Unaoil’s commercial director, Saman Ahsani, is also subject to an extradition request to Monaco, where the company is based and he resides, on related charges, the SFO said.