Japan settles LNG bribery case with U.S.

Japanese trading company Marubeni Corp. said it agreed to pay $54.6 million to the U.S. government for its role in the bribery of Nigerian energy officials. The U.S. Justice Department, in a statement, said four companies comprising the TSKJ joint venture, in violation of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, bribed government officials in Nigeria for a contract to build a liquefied natural gas plant. The joint venture hired Japanese trading house Marubeni to get engineering contracts through bribes for the LNG project planned for Nigeria's Bonny Island, the government said. Marubeni announced it entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice regarding the accusations. "As part of the investigation, the (Justice Department) conducted an investigation into Marubeni, leading to entry of the agreement," the company said. "Under the agreement, Marubeni will pay $54.6 million to the (Justice Department)." The TSKJ consortium consisted of French corporation Technip, Italian company Snamprogetti, Japan's JGC Corp., and M.W. Kellogg Ltd., predecessor to Kellogg, Brown and Root. KBR in 2009 pleaded guilty for its role in the Nigerian bribery scheme. "Several" individuals have entered guilty pleas as well, the Justice Department said, adding all of the companies involved in the scheme have now been held accountable in the "massive, decade-long scheme to bribe Nigerian government officials in connection with the so-called Bonny Island project."