R v Jacobs Group (Australia) Pty Ltd [2021] NSWSC 657

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: R v Jacobs Group (Australia) Pty Ltd [2021] NSWSC 657 Hearing dates: 31 May 2021 Decision date: 09 June 2021 Jurisdiction: Common Law Before: Adamson J Decision: (1) Jacobs Group (Australia) Pty Ltd is convicted of sequences 1, 2 and 3 on the further amended Court Attendance Notice. (2) In respect of sequence 1, a fine of $67,500 is imposed. (3) In respect of sequence 2, a fine of $54,000 is imposed. (4) In respect of sequence 3, a fine of $1,350,000 is imposed. Catchwords: CRIMINAL PROCEDURE — Sentence proceedings — Reasons for sentence — Pronouncement of sentence SENTENCING — Federal offences — Three offences of conspiracy to cause an offer of a bribe to a foreign official contrary to ss 11.5(1) and 70.2(1)(a)(iv) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) — Relevant factors on sentence — Objectively serious and within the mid-range — Damage caused by corruption of public officials — Past and future assistance given by the company to authorities — Need for general and specific deterrence — General deterrence achieved by rewarding a self-reporting company who assists investigating and prosecuting authorities — The company's self-reporting and its response to the offending suggests remorse and contrition, and a desire to set about its own rehabilitation — Consideration of delay SENTENCING — Penalty for body corporate — Determination of the maximum penalty — The meaning of "benefit" in s 70.2(5)(b) of the Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth) — Consistent with the legislative intention, benefit means net benefit — Discount for guilty plea, past assistance and an undertaking to provide future assistance Legislation Cited: Acts Interpretation Act 1901 (Cth), s 15AB Bribery Act 2010 (UK) Crimes Act 1914 (Cth), ss 16A, 16AC Criminal Code Act 1995 (Cth), ss 11.5, 12.3, 70.1, 70.2 Criminal Code Amendment (Bribery of Foreign Officials) Act 1999 (Cth) Crimes Legislation Amendment (Serious and Organised Crime) Act (No 2) 2010 (Cth) Criminal Property Confiscation Act 2000 (WA), ss 16, 145 Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (NSW), s 23 Evidence Act 1995 (NSW), s 191 Cases Cited: AB v The Queen (1999) 198 CLR 111; [1999] HCA 46 Agius v The Queen (2013) 248 CLR 601; [2013] HCA 27 Ahmad v R [2021] NSWCCA 30 Australian Woollen Mills Limited v F S Walton and Company Limited (1937) 58 CLR 641; [1937] HCA 51 Blatch v Archer (1774) 1 Cowp 63; (1774) 98 ER 969 CMB v Attorney General for New South Wales (2015) 256 CLR 346; [2015] HCA 9 Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police v Fysh [2013] NSWSC 81; (2013) 224 A Crim R 523 Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) v Gay (2015) 26 Tas R 149; [2015] TASSC 15 Director of Public Prosecutions (Cth) v Gay (No 2) (2015) 256 A Crim R 194; [2015] TASSC 58 Director of Serious Fraud Office v Airbus SE [2021] Lloyd's Rep FC 159; [2020] 1 WLUK 435 Elias v The Queen (2013) 248 CLR 483; [2013] HCA 31 Malaysian Declaration Case (2011) 244 CLR 144; [2011] HCA 32 Mansfield v Director of Public Prosecutions (WA) (2007) 33 WAR 227; [2007] WASCA 39 Markarian v The Queen (2005) 228 CLR 357; [2005] HCA 25 Maxwell v The Queen (1996) 184 CLR 501; [1996] HCA 46 Minister for Immigration and Ethnic Affairs v Teoh (1995) 183 CLR 273; [1995] HCA 20 Muldrock v The Queen (2011) 244 CLR 120; [2011] HCA 39 PZ v R [2015] NSWCCA 317 R v Borkowski [2009] NSWCCA 102; (2009) 195 A Crim R 1 R v Ellis (1986) 6 NSWLR 603 R v Jousif; R v I Elomar; R v M Elomar [2017] NSWSC 1299; (2017) 325 FLR 108 R v NP [2003] NSWCCA 195 Sabra v R [2015] NSWCCA 38; (2015) 257 A Crim R 33 Savvas v The Queen (1995) 183 CLR 1; [1995] HCA 29 Serious Fraud Office v XYZ Limited [2016] Lloyd's Rep FC 517; [2016] 7 WLUK 211 Weininger v The Queen (2003) 212 CLR 629; [2003] HCA 14 Xiao v R (2018) 96 NSWLR 1; [2018] NSWCCA 4 Texts Cited: Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, Best Practice Guidelines: Self-reporting of foreign bribery and related offending by corporations (20 December 2017) Commonwealth House of Representatives, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), 3 June 1999 OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Public Officials in International Business Transactions (entered into force on 15 February 1999) Category: Sentence Parties: Regina (Crown) Jacobs Group (Australia) Pty Ltd (Offender) Representation: Counsel: G Craddock SC / S Flood (Crown) T Game SC / A Bonnor (Offender) B Walker SC / N A Wootton (Offender)