The Southwark Crown Court in London sentenced ex-Ministry of Defence (MoD) official Jeffrey Cook to 30 months’ imprisonment for misconduct in public office between 2004 and 2008. In addition to his role with the MoD, Cook had held a management position at GPT Special Project Management Limited, an Airbus subsidiary.
Convicted of misconduct back in March, Cook was acquitted, along with John Mason, of corruption charges at the same time, as reported by The Guardian. The charges against Cook asserted secret payments in return for commissioning work from offshore consultants for the MoD. Investigations highlighted Cook’s concealment of payments and gifts in excess of £70,000 ($87,198) during his tenure at the MoD and after transitioning to defense contractor Paradigm, owned by Airbus.
The court found proof of a 10% commission Cook received from a contract issued by the MoD to ME Consultants Ltd, a company led by co-defendant Mason. The Serious Fraud Office additionally found that Cook received over £44,000 ($54810) in cash and two cars valued at over £30,000, secured through a Chelmsford car dealership owned by Peter Austin.
Reminded by the court of his obligations under the Civil Service Code as an MoD employee — which forbids receiving remuneration other than from the MoD itself in connection with employment — Cook was still legally bound to these regulations even after transferring to Paradigm.
The sentencing reflected the jury’s conclusion that Cook acted improperly as a civil servant employed by the MoD, thereby making a personal gain at the expense of public funds by accepting money that could have benefited the public. The court emphasized that Cook’s offense warranted a custodial sentence and commended the vigilance of the Serious Fraud Office in the case.
Despite being acquitted of corruption charges, Cook’s charges had involved an alleged payment of £9.7m ($12m) over five years to a Saudi Prince and other high-ranking officials to secure contracts with the Saudi Arabian National Guard (SANGCOM). The court found these payments to be authorized by the British and Saudi governments, as shown in a tweet by the UK’s Serious Fraud Office.