Colombia Arrests 7 Suspected of Graft at State Oil Firm
Colombia Arrests 7 Suspected of Graft at State Oil Firm
World | Agence France-Presse | Updated: March 12, 2015 05:05 IST
Colombian authorities arrested seven suspects Wednesday accused of involvement in a kickback scheme between state oil company Ecopetrol and multinational firm PetroTiger.
Investigators allege a former Ecopetrol employee, David Duran, took large bribes to award a lucrative 2010 contract to PetroTiger, an oil services contractor based in the British Virgin Islands.
Four current Ecopetrol employees, two former employees and a "private individual linked to PetroTiger" were arrested on suspicion of corruption, illicit personal enrichment and forgery, prosecutors said in a statement.
Joseph Sigelman, a former chief executive at PetroTiger, was indicted last May by a federal grand jury in the United States on charges of paying Duran a $335,000 "consulting fee" in exchange for the awarding of a $39 million contract.
More:
http://www.ndtv.com/world-news/colombia-arrests-7-suspected-of-graft-at-state-oil-firm-745940
