Man Jailed For Involvement In Bribery Scandal

A former construction firm boss from Husbands Bosworth has been jailed for taking part in a £2m bribery scandal.

Richard King of RK Civil Engineering was involved in bribing to two former Eon energy company employees, to secure lucrative contracts at a major housing development in Devon.

The 51-year-old was one of six people sentenced for involvement in the criminal conspiracy which included bribery, money laundering and fraud.

The bribes, which happened between 2011 and 2015, took many different forms, including payments, transfer of ownership of desirable vehicles, false references and wage slips for mortgage and rental applications, stays at hotels and even an air-conditioning unit.

King pleaded guilty to fraud by false representation and two bribing charges and was jailed for two years and five months at Winchester Crown Court.

Richard King

Tim Burton from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “This is a case of serious corruption and fraud within the energy sector, where the defendants abused their positions of trust and undermined the integrity of the industry.

“We are determined to work with investigators to root out corporate fraud and corruption and bring those responsible to justice.

“We will also seek to pursue any money or assets gained through this criminality with our Proceeds of Crime Division.”

RK Civil Engineering was liquidated in 2020.