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SFO closes Soma Oil & Gas investigation

14 December, 2016 | Case Updates

The Director of the Serious Fraud Office has today closed the SFO’s investigation into Soma Oil & Gas Holdings Ltd, Soma Oil & Gas Exploration Limited, Soma Management Limited and others, in relation to allegations of corruption in Somalia.

The SFO has concluded, based on the information and material we have obtained, that there is insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction. Whilst there were reasonable grounds to suspect the commission of offences involving corruption, a detailed review of the available evidence led us to the conclusion that the alleged conduct, even if proven and taken at its highest, would not meet the evidential test required to mount a prosecution for an offence.

Notes:

  1. The investigation was announced in July 2015 following the referral of allegations against the company which were made in a report by the United Nations’ Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group.
  2. The SFO is grateful for the assistance of the National Crime Agency in progressing our investigation.

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