Macmillan, one of Britain's oldest publishing houses, today paid more than £11 million in a deal with the Serious Fraud Office after it admitted trying to use bribery to win a major educational book contract in Southern Sudan.
Macmillan, one of Britain's oldest publishing houses, today paid more than £11 million in a deal with the Serious Fraud Office after it admitted trying to use bribery to win a major educational book contract in Southern Sudan. The SFO was first tipped off by the World Bank which had funded the tender process to supply educational materials to one of the world's poorest nations. The bank said it had been approached with a bribe by an agent acting for Macmillan. The company then referred itself to the SFO and the City of London Police raided its offices in December 2009. Rather than face a criminal prosecution, Macmillan and the SFO worked towards a civil recovery of the proceeds of the money which the publisher generated illegally in its education division in East and West Africa. Today's £11.3 million High Court Order is one of the largest seen under this system. Macmillan agreed with the SFO to employ external lawyers to investigate potential bribery by it or its agents in...