Parker Drilling’s Scotland-Based Unit Pays Over £170,000 to Resolve Bribery and Corruption Charges in Scotland

Kazakhstan Parker Drilling International Tubular Services Scotland

On Dec. 17, 2014, International Tubular Services (ITS), an oil and gas services firm based in Scotland that was acquired by Houston-based Parker Drilling (Parker) in 2013, agreed to pay £172,200 to resolve bribery and corruption charges. ITS admitted to benefiting from corrupt payments made by a former Kazakhstan -based employee to secure additional contractual work from a customer in Kazakhstan. Scotland’s Prosecution Service noted that the bribery and corruption was discovered when the company was being sold to Parker and that Parker has taken steps to implement comprehensive anti-bribery policies and training. In 2013 in an unrelated investigation, Parker paid nearly $16 million to resolve DOJ and SEC FCPA charges related to bribery of Nigerian officials.