The U.K. Serious Fraud Office said yesterday it has closed its investigation into London-based Soma Oil & Gas Holdings, Soma Oil & Gas Exploration Limited, Soma Management Limited, and others, related to allegations of corruption in Somalia.
The investigation was first 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.
In a statement issued 14 December, the SFO concluded, based on the information and material obtained, that it had “insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.”
“Whilst there were reasonable grounds to suspect the commission of offences involving corruption,” the SFO said, “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.”
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