Japanese firm to pay $54.6M over bribery charges

  HOUSTON -- Justice Department officials say a Japanese company that helped a former Halliburton Co. subsidiary bribe Nigerian officials to win more than $6 billion in construction contracts has pleaded guilty to federal charges and agreed to pay nearly $55 million in fines.

Officials announced Tuesday that Tokyo-based Marubeni Corp. had been hired by a joint venture of four companies, including Houston-based KBR. It was to bribe Nigerian government officials in order to win engineering and construction contracts for a liquefied natural gas plant on the African nation's Bonny Island.

The bribery scheme occurred for about 10 years, through 2004.

Prosecutors will drop charges against Marubeni in two years if it follows a corporate compliance program.

The four companies in the joint venture have previously pleaded guilty in Houston federal court.

(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

local

View the original article here

Former tech executive acquitted on bribery charges

  HOUSTON -- A former Texas-based executive has been found not guilty of federal charges that he arranged bribes to a state-owned utility in Mexico.

John O'Shea was acquitted Tuesday in Houston by a judge's order, but other charges such as money laundering and conspiracy are pending.

O'Shea was the general manager of a Sugar Land-based unit of the Swiss company ABB Ltd. Prosecutors say O'Shea arranged to have bribes paid to a Mexican state-owned utility company in order to win contracts.

But Judge Lynn Hughes declared O'Shea not guilty on 12 charges brought under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act before the case could go to a jury.

ABB Ltd. has admitted to paying bribes and was hit with a $17 million criminal fine.

A spokesman for prosecutors did not return a message.

(Copyright ©2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

local

View the original article here

HPD employee charged with bribery

 Edward Moses Mason, 42, has been charged with bribery.

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- A Houston Police Department employee has been accused of bribery.

Edward Moses Mason, 42, has been charged with three counts of bribery. According to court documents, on April 6 Mason agreed to accept money by providing and agreeing to provide non-public information about HPD's Vice Division operations. Mason was arrested Wednesday and is being held on $10,000 bond. (Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) 

View the original article here