SFO Tetris Bluu Bribery Trial Concludes with not guilty verdicts

After fifteen weeks, the trial of three executives from the corporate fit-out industry charged with bribery and money-laundering by the SFO, has come to an end.  The SFO case centred on the payment of hundreds of thousands of pounds of fees in respect of valuable building contracts.  The SFO alleged that these payments were bribes, intended to induce favour in the tender process.  The defence case was that, in each case, the payment was a legitimate fee paid as a reward for providing the introduction or lead for the project, and was unconnected with the tender process itself.  Generally, the defence maintained, the recipients of the payments were incapable of affecting the outcome of the tender process in any event.

The proceedings ended yesterday with the unanimous acquittal of all defendants, the jury having spent only a few hours in retirement.

Adrian Darbishire KC and Tom Doble represented Robb Simms-Davies, the first defendant, instructed by Johanna Walsh and Christopher Gribbin of Mischon de Reya.