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Suspects in a bribery investigation into Ladbrokes owner Entain have been invited to enter plea talks with the England and Wales Crown Prosecution Service as it prepares to make charging decisions, almost a year after the gambling group agreed to pay £615m to investigate the case to solve.
The Crown Prosecution Service has sent letters in recent months to a number of people involved in the investigation into Entain’s former Turkish subsidiary, inviting them to speak to prosecutors about possibly pleading guilty to the alleged conduct, according to two people with expertise. the situation.
The letters come as the CPS, along with HM Revenue & Customs, which led the investigation, plan to make decisions on costs by the end of the year, a person familiar with the investigation said.
Entain – which also owns the Coral and Bwin brands – signed a deferred prosecution agreement with the CPS in December for failing to prevent bribery at its former Turkish unit, following the year-long investigation. No findings have been made against any individual.
At the time of the alleged offences, which took place between 2011 and 2017, gambling was illegal in Turkey. The resolution marked the first DPA the CPS had entered into since they were introduced in Britain a decade ago.
Entain, then known as GVC Holdings, agreed to pay £585 million to settle the case, consisting of a financial penalty of £465 million and lost profits of £120 million. The gambling group also donated £20 million to charity and set aside £10 million to cover HMRC’s legal costs.
Under a DPA, a criminal prosecution is stayed based on certain conditions, such as paying a fine and assisting in bringing cases against individuals. Such deals are only available to companies.
In pre-indictment plea discussions, suspects are given the opportunity to admit to certain behavior that can help shape the charges a prosecutor ultimately files. Any agreement would be subject to court approval.
According to two of the people, conversations were held with suspects in the Entain case throughout the entire investigation. The research was first revealed by the company in 2020.
The CPS said it “could not confirm or deny our activities relating to live investigations”. Entain declined to comment.
Entain is also facing a shareholder lawsuit from a group of institutional investors seeking more than £150 million in compensation for a fall in the company’s share price following the bribery investigation.
The full judgment and facts of the DPA will remain private until any criminal proceedings against individuals are resolved, the court ruled last year.
Additional reporting by Eri Sugiura