Corruption ring fraudster jailed

Five years imprisonment for former licensee of Stockcross pub involved in multi-million pound fraud case

A FORMER Stockcross restaurateur has been jailed for his part as ringleader in a a multi-million pound, international energy sector corruption ring.

Andrew Charles Rybak, aged 55, of Wickham, posed as an independent advisor using false names to dishonestly gain priceless information which he passed on to bidders about their competitors' proposals, the jury at Southwark Crown Court decided.

Rybak is a former licensee of the Lord Lyon at Stockcross, who took over in 2002 before turning it into a restaurant named Rybaks.

It changed hands again two years later and has reverted back to its original title.

Rybak was in the dock alongside Ronald Saunders, aged 64, of Hook, Hampshire; Phillip Hammond, a 57-year-old whose main address is in Brussels, Barry Smith, aged 71, of Churt, Surrey and Robert Storey, aged 67, of Windlesham, Surrey.

The court heard Rybak coordinated corrupt practices surrounding five separate contracts to supply parts at energy industry facilities in Iran, Egypt, Russia, Singapore and Abu Dhabi.

Hammond worked with Rybak to help sabotage the bidding process in four of the projects, jurors were told.

The pair used a series of aliases to approach firms trying to win the contracts offering inside information, in one case passing a 544-page document containing the entire details of one organisation's bid to a competitor.

The convicted men are thought to have netted £700,000 in kickbacks.

Rybak denied five charges of conspiracy to corrupt; Hammond and Saunders both denied four similar charges while Smith and Mr Storey each denied a single charge of the same offence.

All were convicted last month (January) following a three-and-a-half month trial, except for Mr Storey who was acquitted after jurors failed to reach a verdict on his case.

A sixth man, Graham Marchant, has fled to the Phillipines, from where he can not be extradited, the court heard.

The charges all date from between January 1, 2001 and August 31, 2009.

Defending himself after sacking his legal team midway through the trial Rybak, who had a minor role in 2009 horror movie 'Nine Miles Down', told jurors: “I want you to look very carefully at the charges on the indictment and to see whether you really believe the people here have conspired with those companies to corrupt the bidding process or whether what they did was to get together to try and achieve the best results for everyone.”

In passing sentence on Tuesday (January 31) Judge Deborah Taylor said, "All this was done without the slightest regard for the interests of others. Your activities in connection with these conspiracies had little, if anything, to do with the interests of those engaged with the project, but were parasitic, leeching money for your benefit."

Addressing Rybak, she said: '”You were the main orchestrator to benefit from these offences. Throughout the course of this you have shown that you are intelligent but manipulative and motivated by greed. You lied to others to keep the lion's share for yourself. You have shown no remorse whatsoever.”

Rybak was handed a five year sentence, while Saunders will serve three-and-a-half years, and Hammond received a three year term.

Smith was handed a 12-month sentence suspended for 18 months.

Judge Taylor also ordered that Rybak and Hammond be disqualified from being company directors for 10 years.

Serious Fraud Office Director Richard Alderman said afterwards: "Hopefully these sentences will ring out the message loud and clear that the criminal justice system will do all it can to combat wrong-doing like this."