The cited record supports the material proposition.
The US Department of Justice said in March 2024 that Trafigura pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the FCPA over bribes to Brazilian officials and would pay over US$126 million.
- Claim made by
- US Department of Justice, regulator statement
- Published
- 28 March 2024
- Evidence score
- 87 How it was scored
- Last reviewed
- 25 October 2026
Why this label
The DOJ release states that Trafigura Beheer B.V. pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPAS1. It describes bribes to Brazilian officials to win and keep business with Petrobras between about 2003 and 2014. The criminal fine of US$80,488,040 and forfeiture of US$46,510,257 come to about US$127 million. The DOJ will credit up to US$26,829,346 of the fine against amounts paid to Brazilian authorities. A guilty plea is an admission in court, so the record supports the claim.
Current procedural position
Guilty plea announced 28 March 2024S1. No record found of the plea being withdrawn as of October 2026.
Record supporting the assessment
pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA
The department will credit up to $26,829,346 of the criminal fine against amounts Trafigura pays
Conflicting or limiting record
No record located that conflicts with this assessment.
Evidence score: 87 of 100
The score grades how well the record establishes this assessment. It is not a score of Trafigura Group Pte. Ltd.. Score = source authority + directness + corroboration + procedural accuracy + currency + reproducibility.
| Component | Points | Max | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| Source authorityIs the source competent to establish the proposition? | 29 | 30 | A DOJ release on a guilty plea is a competent record. |
| DirectnessDoes the source state the proposition or only discuss adjacent facts? | 19 | 20 | The release states the plea, the conduct and the amounts. |
| CorroborationDo independent records support the same material point? | 8 | 15 | We did not read a second independent record of the plea. |
| Procedural accuracyDoes the record settle the procedural state the claim describes? | 14 | 15 | A guilty plea is a settled state. |
| CurrencyHas the record been checked against later developments? | 8 | 10 | We found no later record changing the plea. |
| ReproducibilityCan a reader locate the passage and repeat the assessment? | 9 | 10 | The release is public on the DOJ archive site. |
| Total | 87 | 100 |
Timeline
Related cases
- United States v. Trafigura Beheer B.V.US Department of Justice, with the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. Criminal. Not published on the release we read.Stage: Guilty plea entered
- Guilty plea to conspiracy to violate the FCPA, fine and forfeiture of about US$127 millionS1
Revision history
- Assessment first published with label Supported.
Have a record that changes this assessment? See corrections and responses.
Sources
- S1Tier A Swiss Commodities Trading Company Pleads Guilty to Foreign Bribery SchemeUS Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. Regulator press release. 28 March 2024.Supports the guilty plea, the Brazil conduct and the amounts. It does not name the court.Link working, checked 25 October 2026
Other claims about Trafigura Group Pte. Ltd.
- Partly supported68A January 2025 Bloomberg report carried by swissinfo said Trafigura was convicted of bribery by a Swiss court over payments to an Angolan official.Press report, 31 January 20255 records citedBribery
- Unresolved50Trafigura says on its Probo Koala page that neither deaths, nor miscarriages or serious illnesses could have been caused by the slops dumped in Abidjan in 2006.Company statement, 12 October 20213 records citedSafety
- Partly supported73Trafigura describes its July 2010 Dutch fine of EUR 1 million as a ruling on a technical breach of the provisions for exporting waste from the European Union.Company statement, 12 October 20214 records citedSafety