Following the allegations made on December 17, 2015 by the Brazilian Public Prosecutor's Office (Ministério Público Federal - "MPF") regarding SBM Offshore's CEO, Mr. Bruno Chabas, and a member of the Company's Supervisory Board, Mr. Sietze Hepkema, the Supervisory Board of SBM Offshore issued a statement of support with respect to both Board Members on December 21, 2015.
On January 15, 2016, the Company was informed that the judge in Brazil referred the accusations with regard to Mr. Chabas and Mr. Hepkema back to the Public Prosecutor to propose an out-of-court settlement, on a no admission of guilt basis, as is common for misdemeanors of the kind alleged.
Messrs. Chabas and Hepkema and the Management and Supervisory Boards have considered the Public Prosecutor's proposal for an out-of-court settlement and decided to accept it. This results in the payment of 250.000 Brazilian Reals (approximately US$60,000) each, which the Company will pay.
The Company emphasizes that this settlement does not involve an admission of guilt and remains of the opinion that the accusations are without merit. However, SBM Offshore also believes that accepting the settlement offers a pragmatic opportunity to expeditiously resolve this matter that avoids long and costly legal proceedings and allows the Company's management team to concentrate on the business.
The Supervisory Board of the Company affirms its earlier statement of support of Messrs. Chabas and Hepkema.
The settlement with the Public Prosecutor reached on January 22, 2016 is subject to confirmation by the judge handling the case. The timing of the confirmation has yet to be established.
Corporate Profile
SBM Offshore N.V. (the "Company") is a listed holding company that is headquartered in Amsterdam. It holds direct and indirect interests in other companies that collectively with SBM Offshore N.V. form the SBM Offshore group (the "Group").
SBM Offshore provides floating production solutions to the offshore energy industry, over the full product life-cycle. SBM Offshore is market leading in leased floating production systems with multiple units currently in operation and has unrivalled operational experience in this field. The Group's main activities are the design, supply, installation, operation and the life extension of Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels. These are either owned and operated by SBM Offshore and leased to its clients or supplied on a turnkey sale basis.
Group companies employ over 9,000 people worldwide. Full time Group employees totalling 5,700 are spread over four regional centres, eleven operational shore bases and the offshore fleet of vessels. A further 3,300 are working for the joint ventures with several construction yards. Please visit our website at www.sbmoffshore.com.
The companies in which SBM Offshore N.V. directly and indirectly owns investments are separate entities. In this communication "SBM Offshore" is sometimes used for convenience where references are made to SBM Offshore N.V. and its subsidiaries in general, or where no useful purpose is served by identifying the particular company or companies concerned.
The Management Board
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, January 25, 2016
For further information, please contact:
Investor Relations
Nicolas D. Robert
Head of Investor Relations
| Telephone: | +377 92 05 18 98 |
| Mobile: | +33 (0) 6 40 62 44 79 |
| E-mail: | nicolas.robert@sbmoffshore.com |
| Website: | www.sbmoffshore.com |
Media Relations
Anne Guerin-Moens
Group Communications Director
| Telephone: | +377 92 05 30 83 |
| Mobile: | +33 (0) 6 80 86 36 91 |
| E-mail: | anne.guerin-moens@sbmoffshore.com |
| Website: | www.sbmoffshore.com |
Disclaimer
Some of the statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are statements of future expectations and other forward-looking statements based on management's current views and assumptions and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance, or events to differ materially from those in such statements. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, which may cause actual results and performance of the Company's business to differ materially and adversely from the forward-looking statements. Certain such forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes", "may", "will", "should", "would be", "expects" or "anticipates" or similar expressions, or the negative thereof, or other variations thereof, or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy, plans, or intentions. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described in this release as anticipated, believed, or expected. SBM Offshore NV does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update any industry information or forward-looking statements set forth in this release to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.
