Two Australians arrested for attempting to bribe SL officials
Two Australian men who were arrested on charges of bribing Sri Lankan officials to secure infrastructure contracts worth millions of dollars are to be produced in a Sydney Court today (11).
Australian police arrested the two suspects in September after a decade-long investigation spanning several countries.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) says the men arranged bribes of more than A$304,000 ($190,000, £172,000) to government officials between 2009 and 2016.
The bribes were allegedly made in the pursuit of two Sri Lankan projects – which police did not name – worth A$14m.
The charges follow an investigation into SMEC International Pty Ltd, an Australian-based engineering firm, which involved authorities from the US, Canada, India, and elsewhere.
More arrests and charges are possible, the AFP said.
According to Australian media reports, the suspects have been arrested after a long investigation conducted by the Australian Federal Police, Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Australian Trade and Development Commission, Sri Lanka Police, Bangladesh Police, India’s Central Bureau of Investigation and many other international organizations.
The two arrested Sydney men, aged 67 and 71, will be produced in court today and face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of conspiracy to bribe a foreign public official.