Gunvor SA

On 17 October 2019 the Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland held Gunvor criminally liable for failing to take reasonable organisational measures that would have prevented bribery of public officials in the Republic of Congo and Ivory Coast, and ordered it to pay almost CHF 94 million^S1. On 1 March 2024 Gunvor S.A. pleaded guilty in the Eastern District of New York to an FCPA conspiracy over bribes to Ecuadorian officials and was ordered to pay about US$661 million^S2^S3^S5. The DOJ said Gunvor paid Swiss authorities about US$98 million in a parallel resolution^S3. Gunvor's chairman said it now runs an industry-leading compliance programme^S4.

Also known as: Gunvor, Gunvor Group
Headquarters: Switzerland
Records from: Switzerland, United States, Ecuador
Current status: Gunvor SA is an operating commodity trader based in Geneva. It pleaded guilty in the United States on 1 March 2024 and was sentenced the same day^S2.

Scope. This record covers the Gunvor companies. It does not assess the cases of former employees, intermediaries or Ecuadorian officials.

Claims assessed

3 claims. Scores grade the evidence for each claim, not the organization.

Supported87
The Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland said in October 2019 that Gunvor was held criminally liable over bribery of public officials in the Republic of Congo and Ivory Coast and must pay almost CHF 94 million.
Regulator statement, 17 October 20193 records citedBribery
Supported94
The US Department of Justice said in March 2024 that Gunvor S.A. pleaded guilty to an FCPA conspiracy over bribes to Ecuadorian officials and would pay over US$661 million.
Regulator statement, 1 March 20244 records citedBribery
Opinion52
Gunvor's chairman said in March 2024 that the company upholds an industry-leading compliance programme and that corruption has no place in the company.
Company statement, 4 March 20243 records citedBribery

Cases and proceedings

Office of the Attorney General of Switzerland v GunvorOffice of the Attorney General of Switzerland. Criminal. Not published.Stage: Concluded
- 17 October 2019 Gunvor held criminally liable, almost CHF 94 million ordered^S1
United States v. Gunvor S.A.US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Criminal. 24-CR-85 (ENV), shown on the plea agreement as 1:24-cr-00085-ENV.Stage: Sentenced
- 1 March 2024 Guilty plea and sentence to US$374,560,071 penalty and US$287,138,444 forfeiture^S2^S3

Responses on record

Gunvor, 4 March 2024, on The US Department of Justice said in March 2024 that Gunvor S.A. pleaded guilty to an FCPA...
Gunvor's chairman said corruption has no place in the company and will never be tolerated.^S4

Revision history

25 October 2026 Profile and 3 assessments first published. Records checked to 25 October 2026.

Source records

S1Tier A Commodities trader Gunvor held criminally liable for acts of corruptionOffice of the Attorney General of Switzerland. Regulator press release. 17 October 2019.Supports the 2019 corporate liability and the amount. It does not state the years of conduct or whether the order was appealed.
S2Tier A Gunvor S.A. Pleads Guilty to Scheme to Bribe Ecuadorian Officials and Ordered to Pay Over $600 Million in Criminal PenaltiesUS Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York. Regulator press release. 1 March 2024.Supports the plea, the sentence, the docket number and the factors in sentencing. It is not the plea agreement itself.Link working, checked 25 October 2026
S3Tier A Commodities Trading Company Will Pay Over $661M to Resolve Foreign Bribery CaseUS Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. Regulator press release. 1 March 2024.Supports the amounts, the Swiss parallel payment and the 2019 admission on controls. It does not detail the Swiss 2024 order.Link working, checked 25 October 2026
S4Tier C Gunvor Pays More Than $660M in U.S. and Switzerland Settling Bribery CasesThe Maritime Executive. Press report. 4 March 2024.Reports the chairman's statement. Its Swiss figure of about US$93 million differs from the DOJ figure of about US$98 million.Link working, checked 25 October 2026
S5Tier A Plea AgreementUS Department of Justice (filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York). Plea agreement. 1 March 2024.The plea agreement and board resolution in Case 1:24-cr-00085-ENV. It records the one-count information under 18 U.S.C. 371 and the penalty and forfeiture amounts.Link working, checked 25 October 2026