The case involved an eight-year conspiracy involving Alba Aluminum, Canadian-British billionaire Victor Dahdaleh and Bahraini minister Sheikh Isa bin Ali al-Khalifa,.
Hall made a deal with Britain’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) last year, agreeing to testify for the prosecution against Dahdaleh. The case centered on accusations that Dahdaleh paid nearly US$ 65 million in bribes to Sheikh Isa in exchange for US$ 3 billion in contracts for businesses that Dahdaleh represented, including Alcoa, a major US aluminum company.
The jury acquitted Dahdaleh, though he admitted paying an additional US$ 51 million to Sheikh Isa. His lawyer contended this was not corruption as Alba’s board allegedly approved the payments, reports The Financial Times.
In sentencing Hall, Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith emphasized the severity of the case due to the large amount of money and length of time involved. The judge said Hall fully supported Dahdaleh, accepting money from him and “enthusiastically” going along with the conspiracy.
Hall was ordered to pay US$ 850,822 to Alba in compensation and was fined more than US$ 5 million.
Hall could have been sentenced to 20 months. Because of his cooperation, the judge reduced the sentence to 16 months.
