UK considering charges in KBR JV probe-Halliburton

UK considering charges in KBR JV probe-Halliburton
Fri Oct 23, 2009 4:53pm EDT Email | Print | Share| Reprints | Single Page<-> Text <+>

* Probe related to $180 mln in bribes for Nigeria project
* UK investigation has run 3 years, U.S. settled this year

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Britain's Serious Fraud Office is considering civil claims or criminal prosecution in its probe into a Nigerian bribe scheme in which former Halliburton (HAL.N) unit KBR Inc (KBR.N) has already pleaded
guilty, Halliburton said on Friday.

The SFO has been investigating a UK-based KBR joint venture that held a stake in KBR's multinational consortium which wasinvolved in the bribery scheme.

Houston-based engineering firm KBR pleaded guilty in February to U.S. charges that it paid $180 million in bribes between 1994 and 2004 to Nigerian officials to secure $6 billion in contracts.

KBR admitted to paying the bribes for the TSKJ consortium -- France's Technip SA (TECF.PA), Italy's Snamprogetti (SPMI.MI), KBR and Japan's JGC Corp (1963.T) -- to secure contracts for the Bonny Island liquefied natural gas terminal.

more:http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN2311089720091023