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The government awards contracts to companies with histories of misconduct such as contract fraud and environmental, ethics, and labor violations. In the absence of a centralized federal database listing instances of misconduct, the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is providing such data. We believe that it will lead to improved contracting decisions and public access to information about how the government spends hundreds of billions of taxpayer money each year on goods and services. Report an instance of misconduct »

Royal Dutch Shell PLC

Panalpina Group Foreign Bribery: SEC Investigation

Date: 11/04/2010 (Date of Settlement Announcement)

Misconduct Type: Ethics

Enforcement Agency: SEC

Contracting Party: None

Court Type: Civil

Amount: $18,149,459

Disposition: Settlement

Synopsis: Swiss shipping and logistics company Panalpina Group and several of its oil and gas service company customers, including Royal Dutch Shell, agreed to pay nearly $80 million to settle a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act civil enforcement action brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC alleged that Shell and its indirect subsidiary Shell International Exploration and Production, Inc. (SIEP) violated the FCPA by using a customs broker to make payments from 2002 to 2005 to officials at the Nigerian Customs Service to obtain preferential customs treatment related to a project in Nigeria. Without admitting or denying the allegations, Shell and SIEP agreed to pay approximately $18.1 million in disgorgement of profits and prejudgment interest. See related Royal Dutch Shell instance, “Panalpina Group Foreign Bribery: DOJ Investigation.”