Brief
AFP settles 13‑year SMEC bribery probe for $9 million with no charges
The AFP ended a 13‑year foreign‑bribery case against SMEC with a $9 million settlement and no admission of guilt.
By Felo News Desk · Published
The Australian Federal Police announced on 2 October 2026 that they have accepted a $9 million settlement to close a 13‑year foreign‑bribery investigation into engineering firm SMEC, formerly Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation. The settlement, made under proceeds‑of‑crime legislation, includes no admission of wrongdoing and the matter was not referred to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.
SMEC, which remains a contractor on major government projects such as Snowy Hydro 2.0, is now owned by Surbana Jurong, a subsidiary of Singapore’s Temasek. AFP anti‑corruption chief Andrea Quinn said the outcome shows that companies can still face significant financial consequences even without prosecution, and urged firms to cooperate early in investigations.
Key facts
- AFP accepted a $9 million settlement to end the SMEC bribery investigation (smh.com.au)
- The investigation lasted 13 years and did not result in prosecution (smh.com.au)
- SMEC made no admission of wrongdoing and the case was not referred to the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions (smh.com.au)
- SMEC is owned by Surbana Jurong, a Temasek subsidiary (smh.com.au)
- AFP anti‑corruption chief Andrea Quinn emphasized the financial impact of foreign‑bribery investigations (smh.com.au)
Sources
- [1] smh.com.au — originally reported as “13-year-long AFP bribery investigation ends with no prosecution”
