Aussie Man Fined for Misleading in Bribery Probe
An Australian man was convicted and fined $1000 by the Downing Centre Local Court on Thursday (29 January, 2026) for providing false or misleading information to the directors of a multinational publicly listed company.
The man, 65, who resides in France, was charged in 2021. He pleaded guilty to the following charge relating to two incidents from October 2010:
The matter was prosecuted by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth).
At the time of the offending the man was the chief operating officer of Leighton Holdings Limited. In that capacity, he provided misleading information to the board of directors in relation to a multimillion-dollar infrastructure project in Iraq.
In particular, the man provided a cost summary on the project on two separate occasions which failed to accurately allocate $45,000,000 in costs. The costs should have been attributed to 'agency support and overheads' but were instead attributed to other line items and the term 'agency support' was removed from the summary.
The AFP started a foreign bribery investigation after receiving a self-report in November 2011 from the Australian-registered Leighton Holdings Limited about alleged improper payments linked to the project.
Quotes attributable to AFP Acting Commander Timothy Underhill:
"Omitting details about the use of agents compromised the integrity of Leighton's corporate governance because it deprived the directors of the opportunity to ask appropriate questions.
"The International Foreign Bribery Taskforce has published a list of foreign bribery indicators which identifies the use of foreign agents as a potential indicator of international corruption.
"Boards should be notified when foreign agents are being used so that they can ask questions and ensure due diligence has been undertaken.
"This was a complex, long-running investigation that involved gathering evidence from multiple countries.
"The AFP remains committed to investigating offences that undermine strong corporate governance, particularly where they deny companies the opportunity to identify possible misconduct.
"Our officers, with the valued support of international partners, will continue to focus on preventing, detecting and investigating corruption in Australia and overseas. The dedication and professionalism of our officers is evidenced by the fact they pursued this investigation for 10 years."
As of 20 October, 2025, the AFP's response to foreign bribery is being led by Taskforce Solaris, a dedicated multidisciplinary team focused on preventing, detecting and investigating foreign bribery and grand corruption.
The Australian Federal Police is a founding member of the Bribery Prevention Network which is a public-private partnership that brings together business, civil society, academia and government with the shared goal of supporting Australian businesses to prevent, detect and address bribery and corruption and promote a culture of compliance.
https://www.afp.gov.au/news-centre/media-release/australian-man-convicted-and-fined-providing-misleading-information
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