The cited record supports the material proposition.
The SEC found in March 2023 that a consultant working for Rio Tinto on its Simandou rights in Guinea offered an improper payment to a Guinean official and that the payments were not accurately recorded.
- About
- Rio Tinto plc
- Claim made by
- US Securities and Exchange Commission, regulator statement
- Published
- 6 March 2023
- Evidence score
- 86 How it was scored
- Last reviewed
- 25 October 2026
Why this label
The SEC release states that the consultant worked without a written agreement to help Rio Tinto retain its Simandou rights and was paid US$10.5 million that Rio Tinto never verifiedS1. It says the consultant offered and attempted an improper payment of at least US$822,000 to a Guinean officialS1. The charges were under the books and records and internal accounting controls provisions, not the anti-bribery provisionsS1. Rio Tinto consented without admitting or denying the findingsS1S2. The claim states what the SEC found in a settled order. It is not a court finding of bribery by Rio Tinto.
Current procedural position
Settled SEC order of 6 March 2023 for a US$15 million civil penalty, without admitting or denying the findingsS1S2.
Record supporting the assessment
to help the company retain its mining rights in the Simandou mountain region in Guinea.
The consultant began working on behalf of Rio Tinto without a written agreement
Without admitting to or denying the SEC's findings, Rio Tinto has agreed to pay a $15 million civil penalty for violations of the books and records and internal controls provisions
Conflicting or limiting record
No record located that conflicts with this assessment.
Evidence score: 86 of 100
The score grades how well the record establishes this assessment. It is not a score of Rio Tinto plc. Score = source authority + directness + corroboration + procedural accuracy + currency + reproducibility.
| Component | Points | Max | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source authorityIs the source competent to establish the proposition? | 27 | 30 | The SEC is competent to issue the order, and the company's own notice confirms the terms. |
| DirectnessDoes the source state the proposition or only discuss adjacent facts? | 18 | 20 | The release states the consultant facts and the charges directly. |
| CorroborationDo independent records support the same material point? | 11 | 15 | The company notice agrees on terms. No independent finding exists. |
| Procedural accuracyDoes the record settle the procedural state the claim describes? | 11 | 15 | A settled administrative order, not a court judgment. |
| CurrencyHas the record been checked against later developments? | 9 | 10 | Checked against the SFO closure in August 2023. |
| ReproducibilityCan a reader locate the passage and repeat the assessment? | 10 | 10 | Both documents are on sec.gov. |
| Total | 86 | 100 |
Timeline
Related cases
- In the Matter of Rio Tinto plcUS Securities and Exchange Commission. Regulatory. Not stated in the sources read.Stage: Final settled order
- Cease and desist order with a US$15 million civil penaltyS1
Responses
- Rio Tinto plc, 6 March 2023: Rio Tinto described the matter as a previously self-disclosed investigation that it had resolved.S2
Revision history
- Assessment first published with label Supported.
Have a record that changes this assessment? See corrections and responses.
Sources
- S1Tier A SEC Charges Rio Tinto plc with Bribery Controls FailuresUS Securities and Exchange Commission. Regulator press release. 6 March 2023.Supports the consultant facts, the charges and the penalty. The findings were not admitted or denied.
- S2Tier B Notice to ASX/LSE Rio Tinto resolves legacy U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission FCPA investigationRio Tinto plc. Company filing. 6 March 2023.Company statement of the settlement terms. It says nothing on the SFO or ASIC.
Other claims about Rio Tinto plc
- Outdated86The UK Serious Fraud Office was investigating the Rio Tinto Group over suspected corruption in its Guinea business, as announced in July 2017.Regulator statement, 24 July 20174 records citedBribery
- Supported66Rio Tinto said its 2022 settlement with ASIC over Mozambique coal disclosures involved no findings of fraud or of any systemic or widespread failure.Company statement, 7 March 20222 records citedDisclosure
- Supported73A federal parliamentary committee said in December 2020 that Rio Tinto let down the Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura peoples over the Juukan Gorge destruction and should return all artefacts.Official report, 9 December 20203 records citedSafety