Spie Bagtinolles fined M10 million in Water Project bribery case 

Schneider Electrics South Africa, a French company formerly operating under the name Spie Bagtinolles, has on February 25 been fined M10 million by the Lesotho High Court for its part in a bribery scandal involving the former Chief Executive of the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority, Mr. Masupha Sole.

Justice Thamsanqa Nomngcongo said both the defence and the prosecution in the case had agreed that the company should plead guilty to 16 counts of bribery and that the sentence was as per agreement.
     
Justice Nomngcongo also accepted the accused company's request that the fine be deferred to Wednesday, March 3, 2004.

 Spie Bagtinolles was the fourth foreign company to be found guilty of bribery among companies that had projects in the Lesotho Highlands Water Scheme. Others convicted include Acres International, Layhmer, and Duploy, fined M22 Million, M10 Million, and M500, 000 respectively.

Mr. Guido Penzhorn prosecuted while Advocate Antoine Tchekhoff represented Spie.
     
26 February 2004