Polymer notes bribe: Ex mint boss, Okoyomon’s accomplice convicted in Australia

Jide Ige

Ehidiamhen-Emmanuel-OkoyomonA former manager of a polymer banknote manufacturer, Securency International Pty Ltd of Australia, Peter Chapman, who allegedly bribed Emmanuel Okoyomon, a former Managing Director of Nigerian Security, Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC) to secure a “multi-million-euro” contract, has been convicted by a Southwark Crown Court in the United Kingdom, UK.
Mr. Chapman was convicted on May 11 just as his Nigerian accomplice continued to face extradition procedure in Nigeria.
The news of his conviction was on Thursday relayed by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in the UK to the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, who was on a visit to the SFO in London.
The visit was part of efforts to strengthen cooperation between the SFO and the EFCC, the spokesperson for the commission, Wilson Uwujaren, said in a statement Thursday.
The trial of Mr. Chapman, according to the SFO, began on April 4, 2016. Among other allegations, he was said to have paid bribes in order to secure orders for the purchase of reams of polymer substrate from Securency. The total value of the bribes he was accused of paying to the agent was approximately $205,000.
The SFO’s director, David Green, said, “This has been a long, detailed investigation and a complex prosecution involving assistance from a wide range of jurisdictions. Crimes like this damage the UK’s commercial reputation and this conviction shows that such activity will not be tolerated.”
In expressing its delight at the successful prosecution of Chapman, the SFO expressed gratitude to the EFCC, along with other law enforcement agencies, including the Australian Federal Police, the National Crime Agency, the Metropolitan Police, the Central Authority of Nigeria and authorities in Brazil, the Seychelles, South Africa, Canada and Spain for their assistance in this case.
Mr. Chapman was arrested at Heathrow Airport in April 2015, having been extradited from Brazil, and was charged with six offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906 on April 30, 2015

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