CPS secures convictions in £2m energy sector bribery case

Article summary

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has secured convictions against six defendants in a £2m bribery case including former senior staff at E.ON and British Gas. The case involved bribery payments exceeding £2m received in exchange for commercial contracts executed between 2011 and 2015. Charges were brought under the Bribery Act 2010, the Fraud Act 2006, and the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, with matters proceeding upon the consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions. On 1 May 2025, at Winchester Crown Court, senior executives, Mark Baker and Matthew Heyward were sentenced to 3 years 10 months and 2.5 years of imprisonment, respectively. Four additional individuals received sentences ranging from suspended sentences to four years in prison. The CPS has confirmed that it will pursue proceedings to confiscate the proceeds obtained through this criminal activity.