The case against Trofigura had all the financial thriller elements: millions of dollars, shady intermediaries and a chain of projectile companies located in offshore harbor as the Virgin Islands.
The Trafigur strategy, which heard the court, was to create a complex payment network, which made the official with the state oil company Angola’s almost $ 5 million (£ 4.02 million; € 4.81) between 2009 and 2011.
The documents submitted to the Swiss prosecutors showed that the payments allowed for their own Notes of Trafigura.
The strategy appeared: over the next few years the court heard, Angola signed contracts with traffic worth almost $ 144 million (£ 115.93; € 138.56).
Trafigur, whose lawyers looked bull before the verdict, denied bribery. The company stated that its own implementation and anti -corruption measures were independently rated and recognized as excellent.
But the great weight of the evidence – which included dozens of documents, emails and notes – revealed another picture: strict measures against corruption on paper, but a complex structure created to evade these measures in reality. At the heart of him was a mediator named “Mr.
The case will direct the chill through commodity brokers around the world, but especially in Geneva, where the Trophigur headquarters and many other commodity trading houses.
In a terrible coincidence, ahead of the verdict was handed down, a five -star hotel – where court documents showed an Angolan official at the expense of Trofigur in 2008.
Switzerland’s federal prosecutors hope the case will become a symbol that old business ways will finally end.
They have charged with Switzerland’s Supreme Court, given the worst crimes such as terrorist crimes.
Currently, Trafigura is threatened with a great fine, and Wainwright, who was in court and denied the charge, said he should serve at least one year of his 32 -month prison sentence.
However, he was not immediately detained until the appearance he intends to pass.
