G4S settles with UK fraud office over criminal tagging bills

UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) began probing G4S and another contractor, Serco, in 2013 over bills for tagging criminals who were either dead, in prison, or had never been tagged.

Security services provider G4S on Friday agreed to pay 44.4 million pounds ($56.16 million) in fines to settle with Britain's fraud office and avert criminal charges against its unit that stem from an investigation dating back to 2013.

G4S' rehabilitation and prison unit, G4S Care and Justice Services has taken responsibility for three allegations of improperly billing the government over electronic monitoring contracts between August 2011 and May 2012, the company said. UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) began probing G4S and another contractor, Serco, in 2013 over bills for tagging criminals who were either dead, in prison, or had never been tagged. The scandal and a series of other embarrassments led to the departure of its then top boss, Nick Buckles.

"We have apologized to the UK Government and implemented significant changes to people, policies, practices, and controls," G4S Chief Executive Officer Ashley Almanza said in a statement. The company, one of the world's largest private security firms providing security for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in Britain and the International Cricket Council, had repaid Britain under a 121 million-pound settlement in 2014.

($1 = 0.7906 pounds)