Rolls-Royce settles bribery charges for £671m

Rolls-Royce has agreed to pay £671m ($809.6m, €763m) to British, US and other regulators to settle bribery and corruption charges. The FTSE 100 engine manufacturer said the agreements relate to "bribery and corruption involving intermediaries in a number of overseas markets".

The Serious Fraud Office has been investigating these concerns since 2012.

Rolls-Royce has also reached an agreement with US Department of Justice and a Leniency Agreement with Brazil's Ministério Público Federal.

Rolls-Royce is to report full-year results on 14 February, and said "an appropriate update on the implications of these agreements will be provided at that time".

Rolls-Royce announced it would pay £497m to the UK Serious Fraud Office, as well as legal costs. It will also pay $169m in penalties to the US Department of Justice and $25m to the Brazil authorities.

The case centred around allegations that the group hired middlemen to broker lucrative deals in a number of countries including China, Nigeria, Brazil, and South Africa.

Leaked documents and testimony from insiders suggested that hired intermediaries had been used to funnel illicit payments to key officials and politicians.

The SFO confirmed it had reached a deferred prosecution agreement with Rolls-Royce, subject to approval at a hearing at Southwark Crown Court tomorrow morning (17 January).

Rolls-Royce said its total payment to all three agencies in the first year of its settlements would be £293m.

The group said "early indications" are that it has had "a good finish to the year with both profit and, in particular, cash expected to be ahead of expectations".

The firm added it continues to co-operate fully with the authorities.

The Derby-based group employs more than 50,000 people in more than 46 countries, including more than 24,000 in the UK.