A bribery scheme involving £2 million in corrupt payments has resulted in jail time for two former energy sector insiders and several subcontractors, highlighting serious compliance failures in major UK energy firms.
Mark Baker of Goole and Matthew Heyward of Newton Abbot, both originally from the East Midlands, were found guilty of accepting bribes over four years while employed in senior roles at E.ON and later British Gas. The pair used their influence over procurement decisions to steer commercial contracts toward favoured subcontractors in exchange for personal benefits.
The corrupt activity, which took place between 2011 and 2015, was centred around major infrastructure work, including E.ON’s Cranbrook project near Exeter. Bribes were disguised through various methods, including direct payments, vehicle transfers, false documentation, hotel stays, and other perks. Payments were funnelled through business accounts using fake invoices to conceal the transactions.
The court also heard Baker arranged for his wife to be paid over £100,000 for a job she never performed, as part of the effort to extract funds under the guise of legitimate business activity.
Both men were sentenced at Winchester Crown Court, with Baker receiving nearly four years in prison and Heyward two and a half years. Several subcontractors involved in the scheme were also sentenced for their roles in facilitating the fraud.
