Nick Snow
Washington Editor

WASHINGTON, DC, May 16 -- Willbros Group Inc. and its Willbros International Inc. subsidiary agreed to pay a $22 million criminal penalty for violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the US Department of Justice said on May 14.

DOJ filed criminal information alleging that the oil and gas engineering and construction company, which has its headquarters in Panama City and its administrative offices in Houston, made corrupt payments to Nigerian and Ecuadorian officials from late 2003 through March 2005.

In a related matter, Willbros Group agreed to pay $10.3 million in disgorgement of all profits and prejudgment interest under a settlement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Jason Steph, a former supervisory employee in Nigeria; Gerald Jansen, a former administrative supervisor in Nigeria; Lloyd Bigger, a former employee in Nigeria; and Carlos Galvez, a former accounting employee in Bolivia, also settled SEC charges.