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Former Vitol oil trader convicted of Ecuador, Mexico corruption charges

A previous oil trader at Vitol, among the world's largest energy trading business, was founded guilty on Friday of corruption charges stemming from more than $1 million in allurements he paid to officials in Ecuador and Mexico to win organization.

A federal jury in Brooklyn found Javier Aguilar, 50, guilty of 3 counts of foreign bribery, foreign bribery conspiracy, and cash laundering conspiracy.

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn said Aguilar sent kickback cash from his Geneva-based employer to the authorities through a. series of intermediaries and shell companies in infraction of the. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), a U.S. law that restricts. paying bribes to foreign officials.

Aguilar pleaded innocent. His lawyers argued Aguilar worked with. consultants he thought were genuine to assist Vitol win the. 30-month, $300 million contract to deliver crude produced by. Ecuador's state oil business Petroecuador in 2016.

They stated those consultants paid allurements without his. understanding, and that the payment structure was developed by a top. Vitol executive.

Aguilar was the first individual to stand trial in the U.S. as part of a sprawling Justice Department probe into commodity. trading firms paying bribes to win organization from state-run. companies across Latin America, a scandal that has actually roiled energy. markets from Mexico to Brazil.

Vitol in December 2020 admitted to paying off authorities in. Brazil, Mexico and Ecuador and agreed to pay $164 million to. fix U.S. and Brazilian probes. Competing trader Gunvor is. bracing for a fine of as much as $650 million to solve U.S. probes. into its company negotiations in Ecuador.

Aguilar's eight-week trial featured statement from several. intermediaries and allurement receivers, who pleaded guilty and. agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.

That included 2 previous employees of a Houston-based. subsidiary of Mexico's state-owned oil business Pemex, who. affirmed that Aguilar paid them around $600,000 in allurements to. steer a $200 million agreement for the supply of ethane gas. towards Vitol.

Aguilar's lawyers argued that the Pemex workers were not. foreign officials, meaning the payments were not allurements under. U.S. law.

Aguilar faces added fees in federal court in Houston. over the supposed Pemex plan. He has actually pleaded innocent.