Home / Issues / Rolls-Royce's 2017 deferred prosecution agreement with the UK Serious Fraud Office and parallel US and Brazil resolutions
Rolls-Royce's 2017 deferred prosecution agreement with the UK Serious Fraud Office and parallel US and Brazil resolutions
Decidedas of 31 Oct 2026United Kingdom; United States; BrazilRolls-Royce plcdraft
Current status
Confirmed fact · as of 17 Jan 2017
The UK resolution is a DEFERRED PROSECUTION AGREEMENT approved by the High Court, not a criminal conviction of Rolls-Royce plc; the suspended indictment carried 12 counts.
A UK Serious Fraud Office, SFO completes £497.25m Deferred Prosecution Agreement with Rolls-Royce PLC (17 Jan 2017) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026
Confirmed fact · as of 17 Jan 2017
The UK, US and Brazil resolutions were separate instruments with separate payments (GBP 497.25m plus interest and costs in the UK; USD 170m to the US; about USD 25m to Brazil).
A UK Serious Fraud Office, SFO completes £497.25m Deferred Prosecution Agreement with Rolls-Royce PLC (17 Jan 2017) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026 · A U.S. Department of Justice, Rolls-Royce plc Agrees to Pay $170 Million Criminal Penalty to Resolve Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Case (17 Jan 2017) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026
Unanswered question · as of 22 Feb 2019
No individuals were convicted in the UK arising from this matter; the SFO reported closing its investigation into individuals without charge, and that limb is outside this corporate record.
A UK Serious Fraud Office, SFO completes £497.25m Deferred Prosecution Agreement with Rolls-Royce PLC (17 Jan 2017) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026
Last reviewed 31 Oct 2026. An initial allegation is not the final event; this block is always shown.
How it unfolded
Issue raised · 17 Jan 2017
Proposition: The UK Serious Fraud Office, the US Department of Justice and Brazil's Ministerio Publico Federal alleged that Rolls-Royce used intermediaries to pay or offer bribes to secure business across several jurisdictions over many years, and engaged in false accounting and a failure to prevent bribery.
Affected parties: Rolls-Royce plc, UK Serious Fraud Office, U.S. Department of Justice, Brazil Ministerio Publico Federal
Originating record: A UK Serious Fraud Office, SFO completes £497.25m Deferred Prosecution Agreement with Rolls-Royce PLC (17 Jan 2017) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026
Response · Rolls-Royce plc · 17 Jan 2017
Attributed claim · as of 17 Jan 2017
Rolls-Royce acknowledged the agreements with the SFO, DOJ and Brazilian authorities and expressed regret for the past conduct, citing changes to its intermediary and compliance arrangements. The company's acknowledgement is recorded in the SFO release and contemporaneous reporting. — Rolls-Royce plc
A UK Serious Fraud Office, SFO completes £497.25m Deferred Prosecution Agreement with Rolls-Royce PLC (17 Jan 2017) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026
Outcome · High Court of Justice (England and Wales), Sir Brian Leveson PQBD approving the SFO DPA; U.S. Department of Justice; Brazil Ministerio Publico Federal · 17 Jan 2017
settlementbinding
Confirmed fact · as of 17 Jan 2017
Recorded precisely by forum. (1) United Kingdom: on 17 January 2017 Sir Brian Leveson, President of the Queen's Bench Division, approved a deferred prosecution agreement between the SFO and Rolls-Royce plc. The indictment covered 12 counts of conspiracy to corrupt, false accounting and failure to prevent bribery, relating to conduct in Indonesia, Thailand, India, Russia, Nigeria, China and Malaysia. Rolls-Royce agreed to pay GBP 497.25 million plus interest, together with the SFO's costs of about GBP 13 million; the indictment was suspended for the term of the DPA. A DPA suspends, but does not determine, criminal charges, and is not a conviction. (2) United States: Rolls-Royce agreed with the DOJ to pay USD 170 million. (3) Brazil: a leniency agreement with the Ministerio Publico Federal provided for a payment of about USD 25 million. The combined global figure was reported at about GBP 671 million at then-current exchange rates.
A UK Serious Fraud Office, SFO completes £497.25m Deferred Prosecution Agreement with Rolls-Royce PLC (17 Jan 2017) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026 · A U.S. Department of Justice, Rolls-Royce plc Agrees to Pay $170 Million Criminal Penalty to Resolve Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Case (17 Jan 2017) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026
Remedy: A UK DPA payment of GBP 497.25m plus interest and about GBP 13m in SFO costs; a USD 170m DOJ payment; a leniency payment of about USD 25m in Brazil.
Appeal/review: concluded — The DPA was approved by the court and its financial terms were met. The SFO later announced it had closed its investigation into individuals connected to the case without bringing charges. A UK Serious Fraud Office, SFO completes £497.25m Deferred Prosecution Agreement with Rolls-Royce PLC (17 Jan 2017) · retrieved 31 Oct 2026
How to read this. Allegation, response and outcome are separate, dated records. "Decided/resolved" appears only where a cited outcome supports it. Materially affected parties can request a correction via Corrections & response.