The United Kingdom’s Serious Fraud Office confirmed the London trial made no progress this week when the court could not reach an absent jury member. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
The London trial made no progress this week when the court could not reach an absent jury member.
The trial of Smith & Ouzman executives and agents accused of bribing African officials for contracts failed to resume Monday due to a missing juror.
The United Kingdom’s Serious Fraud Office confirmed the London trial made no progress this week when the court could not reach an absent jury member.
“The judge described ‘herculean attempts’ made by the court to contact her,” an SFO official told the Business Daily last night.
The trial resumes at the Crown Court in Southwark, London Tuesday at 10am local time with the defence allotted 20 minutes to make closing submissions.
The judge will then begin summing up.
Christopher Smith, 71, the security printing company’s chairman is on trial alongside his son Nicholas Smith, 42, who was the sales and marketing head.
They are accused of paying £330,000 (Sh47 million) in bribes, codenamed ‘chicken’, in Kenya and another £70,000 (Sh10 million) elsewhere in Africa.
International sales manager, Tim Forrester, 47, and company agent, Abdirahman Omar, 38, implicated in the schemes are also on trial in the Southwark case.
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