Our Firm, together with Counsel, Graham Brodie KC, was immensely proud to represent Mr John Mason who, in March 2024, was acquitted of a corruption charge in relation to alleged multi-million-pound bribes to high-ranking Saudi officials to secure and maintain defence business.
The payments relate to a longstanding deal under which the British government installed and maintained communications equipment for a Saudi Arabian military unit, with GPT Special Project Management acting as the key contractor to deliver on the deal. The charge alleged that as part of the deal, payments were made to Saudi Arabian public officials, including members of the Saudi royal family, to maintain the agreements that had been in place since the 1970s.
The contracts central to the Serious Fraud Office’s (SFO) prosecution were agreed upon by the British and Saudi governments in the 1970s, with terms continuing and imposed upon the contracting parties until the contracts' termination in the 2010s. The prosecution of John Mason, an accountant and director of GPT's subcontractor companies (together with Jeffrey Cook, former managing director of GPT) was considered unjust and we were delighted that the jury agreed with our legal team's argument, vindicating Mr Mason.
More specifically, our argument was that the UK Government and Saudi Arabian National Guard had known about, authorised and insisted upon the payments, which the SFO alleged were corrupt. Given the serious political ramifications of that defence, it was strenuously denied by the SFO throughout the trial. The defence was supported by evidence revealed through the prosecution's disclosure, cross-examination of witnesses from the UK Ministry of Defence, and extensive searches by the defence teams at the National Archives for government documents revealing knowledge of or involvement in corrupt payments made in this and other projects.
The jury at Southwark Crown Court acquitted both John Mason and Jeffrey Cook, agreeing that the payments had been authorised by the British and Saudi governments. This case was one of the longest-running SFO investigations and one of the largest criminal jury trials in the UK last year. The investigation began in 2011, and the trial in 2024 lasted four months, involving numerous witnesses, including those from the UK Ministry of Defence.
Our legal team was led by Partners Caroline Greenwell and Stewart Hey, supported by Senior Associate Abigail Rushton.
“The case has cast a shadow over Mr Mason and his family's life for nearly ten years, since he was arrested in July 2014. Justice has now been done and Mr Mason's innocence has been rightly proven.”
Caroline Greenwell
Partner
“On any analysis, this is the correct decision. Justice has been served; however, this prosecution should never have been brought.”
Stewart hey
Partner
“I am deeply appreciative of the professional way in which Charles Russell Speechlys handled this long-running case, covering two trials over a ten-year period. In particular, I would mention the work done reviewing the enormous number of documents and handling the many applications and hearings involved along the way. They were unfailingly supportive of my situation and at all times kept me informed of the difficulties and developments as the case progressed. Despite my innocence, my ultimate acquittal was an enormous relief, and I am ever so grateful for the work done to secure this."
John Mason
