By Peter Kennedy
“Extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.” - Ecclesiastes 7:7
Kellogg Brown & Root, now known as KBR, Inc., is one of the largest engineering and construction firms in the world and has been connected to large U.S. military contracts.
In 2009, KBR pled guilty to charges related to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) for its participation in a decade-long scheme to bribe Nigerian government officials to obtain engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contracts. The EPC contracts were to build liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities on Bonny Island, Nigeria, that were valued at more than $6 billion. KBR was fined more than $500 million.
KBR Chief Executive Officer Albert Jack Stanley also pled guilty and was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison.
"Today's guilty plea by KBR ends one chapter in the Department’s long-running investigation of corruption in the award of $6 billion in construction contracts in Nigeria. This bribery scheme involved both senior foreign government officials and KBR corporate executives who took actions to insulate themselves from the reach of U.S. law enforcement," said prosecuting attorney Rita M. Glavin.
Maintain your personal integrity and flee from any bribery. Today in prayer, ask the Lord to keep you away from any bribes.
"Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder." - George Washington
God's Word: "Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous." - Exodus 23:8
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