DOJ Reopens Bribery Probe into Dutch Oilfield Company

DOJ

On February 10, a Dutch oilfield company announced that the U.S. DOJ has now re-opened its investigation into allegations that the company paid bribes to secure contracts in various countries around the world. The company stated that the DOJ has made “information requests” in connection with the bribery investigation and that the company is “seeking further clarification about the scope of the inquiry.”

The company previously reached a $240 million settlement with Dutch authorities in November 2014 to resolve allegations involving bribes to government officials in Angola, Brazil, and Equatorial Guinea between 2007 and 2011. At the time, the company announced that the DOJ had simultaneously closed its investigation into the same matter. Its most recent announcement, however, shows that the U.S. government has rekindled its inquiry.

The company also announced that it has reserved $245 million to cover a possible settlement with Brazilian authorities. This announcement comes on the heels of a January 2016 settlement between the Ministerio Publico Federal (MPF), Brazil’s Public Prosecutor’s Office, and the company’s CEO and a member of the company’s supervisory board apparently tied to the ongoing Petrobras scandal in Brazil.