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Two former Belgian top executives of the security company G4S have pleaded guilty to bid manipulation in the US. It remains to be seen how former Bpost CEO Jean-Paul Van Avermaet argues.
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The case is part of the investigation into prohibited cartel agreements between the private security companies G4S Secure Solutions, Securitas and Seris Security and their top executives when bidding for contracts. Both the Belgian Competition Authority and the American Department of Justice (DOJ) are investigating.
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The American court has already indicted and subpoenaed several parties in the file. The best-known name is former G4S top manager Jean-Paul Van Avermaet, who was no longer working at G4S when the case broke out, but was CEO of Bpost. He had to resign from Bpost in the spring under pressure from the file that continued to haunt him.
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Pretrial
The American court is speeding up the handling of the case. Monday there was a so-called pretrial (‘pre-trial’) for Bart Verbeeck, the former sales director of the Belgian company G4S Secure Solutions, and for Robby Van Mele, the company’s former director of operations. Their names were not previously known in the file. They were close associates of Van Avermaet.
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The admission of guilt of the two former top executives of G4S does not automatically mean that Jean-Paul Van Avermaet will do the same.
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According to a press release from the American courtht, in which they are named, they pleaded guilty to “criminal antitrust charges arising out of their involvement in a conspiracy to manipulate bids, set prices and allocate customers for defense-related service contracts.” The US is an involved party, because it concerns, among other things, contracts for US government buildings and NATO.
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No automaticity
The admission of guilt by both former top executives follows G4S Secure Solutions’ step earlier this year to plead guilty. In that sense, it’s not exactly a surprise. But that does not mean that Van Avermaet will automatically do the same. To be plea hearing may follow later this fall. In any case, the pressure on him as a key figure is now increasing.
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