Former Yara chief acquitted of corruption
Former Yara president, Thorleif Enger, has been acquitted of corruption by the Court of Appeal, and the jury believes the former legal director, Kendrick Wallace, is guilty.
Newspaper Aftenposten reported the jury’s verdict first.
Two others who have been indicted in the corruption case, former Executive Vice President Tor Holba and former director of Yara’s growth strategy, Daniel Clauw, have both been acquitted by the jury in the High Court.
After the jury verdict was read, professional judges drew back for 15 minutes to consider whether the judgment should be set aside, DN reports. The professional judges had no objections to the jury’s conclusion.
The Yara case has been referred to as Norway’s most serious corruption case ever since the trial proceeded to Oslo District Court.
The four former top executives, including former CEO Thorleif Enger, were sentenced to between two and three years in prison on the charges of gross corruption in Libya and India.
Enger was sentenced to three years in prison. All four appealed.
The handling of the case in the Court of Appeal started late August. The four defendants once again refused culpability.
The four have been indicted for corruption regarding evidence that Yara had offered bribes to the sons of high-ranking officials in Libya and in India.
In January 2014, Yara received a fine of 295 million by Norwegian authorities for gross corruption in Libya, India and Russia. Yara has acknowledged bribes of over 70 million.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
