Willbros Group, Inc. and its subsidiary, Willbros International, agreed to pay $32.3 million in a settlement with the Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission to resolve allegations of FCPA violations. Of that amount, $22 million reconciles a criminal penalty the company agreed to pay the DOJ, and the remaining $10.3 million is a disgorgement of profits based on an SEC settlement.

The Securities and Exchange Commission alleged in the fall of 2007 that Willbros Group paid over $6.3 million to Nigerian government officials between 2003 and 2005 in order to earn a $387 million government contract, according to news reports. The SEC also alleged that a number of Willbros employees participated in a tax evasion scheme in Bolivia.

The Department of Justice agreed to defer prosecution of Willbros for three years, pending the company’s cooperation with its investigation. If Willbros maintains a strong FCPA compliance program and hires an independent monitor, among other conditions, the DOJ will drop the charges.