Odebrecht / Braskem global infrastructure bribery
Risk Mechanism
Bribery was concealed through shell companies, offshore accounts, coded communications, and intermediaries, allowing illicit payments to influence contract awards and related government decisions.
Case Summary
Odebrecht and Braskem admitted to operating a long-running bribery scheme across multiple jurisdictions. The scheme used shell companies, offshore accounts, coded communications, and intermediaries to pay public officials in exchange for favourable contract awards and related government decisions. It resulted in guilty pleas, compliance monitoring, and at least USD 3.5 billion in global penalties.
Risk Lesson
This case demonstrates how bribery can be concealed through intermediaries, offshore entities, coded communications, and opaque payment channels to influence contract awards and related government decisions across multiple project stages. It also shows how unexplained intermediary roles, weak payment scrutiny, repeated award patterns, and hidden political access can function as recurring warning signs.
Reference
U.S. Department of Justice. (2016). Odebrecht and Braskem plead guilty and agree to pay at least $3.5 billion in global penalties to resolve largest foreign bribery case in history. Available from: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/odebrecht-and-braskem-plead-guilty-and-agree-pay-least-35-billion-global-penalties-resolve