Former chief executives of the Innospec business, Dennis Kerrison and Paul Jennings appeared before Westminster Magistrates' Court today on charges surrounding alleged corrupt payments to gain public contracts in Indonesia. Mr Jennings is also charged in relation to Iraq. The case is transferred to Southwark Crown Court.
Dennis Graham John Kerrison (67) of Chertsey, Surrey, was CEO of Associated Octel Corporation (subsequently renamed Innospec Ltd). He is charged with an allegation of conspiracy to corrupt, in that he gave or agreed to give corrupt payments to public officials and other agents of the Government of Indonesia as inducements to secure, or as rewards for having secured, contracts from the Government of Indonesia for the supply of its products including Tetraethyl Lead by Innospec.
Paul Willis Jennings (54) of Neston, Cheshire, is a former CEO of Innospec. He is accused of two allegations of conspiracy to corrupt, in that he gave or agreed to give corrupt payments to public officials and other agents of the Governments of Indonesia and Iraq as inducements to secure, or as rewards for having secured, contracts from those Governments for the supply of its products including Tetraethyl Lead by Innospec.
Mr Jennings is additionally accused of one allegation of conspiracy to defraud Ethyl Corporation by making payments to public officials and other agents of the Government of Iraq as inducements to ensure that tests on MMT, a competitor product manufactured by Ethyl Corporation, conducted by or on behalf of the Government of Iraq concluded with an unfavourable assessment of that product.
The alleged offences took place variously between 2002 and 2008.
The case has been sent to the Crown Court at Southwark where both defendants will appear next on 6 January 2012.
Both defendants have been given conditional bail.
Notes for editors:
1) Today's court appearances follow the appearance on 25 October of Dr David Turner, a former business director of Innospec, who is similarly charged with corruption and fraud offences.
2) The SFO investigation into the conduct of these individuals was assisted by the US Department of Justice, the US Securities & Exchange Commission, the City of London Police and the Cheshire Constabulary.
3) The Serious Fraud Office is a government department responsible for investigating and prosecuting serious and complex fraud. The SFO is headed by the Director (Richard Alderman) who exercises powers under the superintendence of the Attorney General. These powers are derived from the Criminal Justice Act (1987).
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