Seadrill and Sapura targeted in Brazilian bribery probe

Offshore drilling contractor Seadrill and oilfield services provider Sapura Energy are being investigated by the police in relation to the Brazilian Car Wash corruption probe.

Seadrill Limited confirmed on Wednesday that its subsidiary Seadrill Serviços de Petroleo, Ltda was served with a search and seizure warrant from the Federal Police in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil as part of the latest phase of Operation Car Wash (Lava Jato).

Seadrill said it is cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation but it has not provided any further details related to the investigation.

In a separate statement on Thursday, Sapura Energy said that, in relation to recent news on investigations involving Sapura Energy and Seadrill for alleged bribery involvement relating to Petrobras contracts, Sapura Energy strongly refutes any involvement in any form of bribery or corruption in its business dealings in Brazil and anywhere else in the world.

In an earlier investigation by Brazilian authorities in 2016 and 2017, the company was cleared of all allegations of bribery or corruption.

The company said it has in the past cooperated and will continue to cooperate with any investigation or regulatory authority in relation to bribery and corruption.

The company has a strict policy against bribery and corruption and has internal policies and procedures to mitigate this risk.

As part of its governance and processes, the company has a clause in all its agreements on anti-bribery which will make the agreement void if bribery is involved or is suspected to be involved.

“We have in the past taken immediate steps to cease contractual obligations whenever a suspicion of bribery or corruption was raised. These facts demonstrate and are clear evidence of the company’s commitment to its zero-tolerance policy towards bribery and corruption”, Sapura concluded.

Brazil’s Operation Car Wash, launched in 2014, is the largest corruption investigation in Brazil, involving the state-owned oil and gas giant Petrobras.

The investigation by Brazilian prosecutors aimed at tackling a wide-spread money laundering and corruption at Petrobras where some executives received kickbacks in return for awarding contracts to contractors at inflated prices.