Britons accused of bribery in US arms deal

Five British executives have been arrested after an undercover FBI operation into alleged attempted bribery of foreign government officials.

At total of 21 people in the arms and security industry were seized as they prepared to attend the Shooting, Hunting & Outdoor Trade Show at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre in Las Vegas. A further arrest was made in Miami.

Three of the executives are with British based companies. They were named as Pankesh Patel, 43, from London, David Painter, 56, and Lee Wares, 43.

The other two arrested Britons are Jonathan Spiller, 58, who owns a Florida firm that markets and sells law enforcement and military equipment, and Michael Sachs, 66, who is chief executive of a Kentucky-based company that designs and sells armour products.

All five men were remanded in custody after appearing in court. A bail hearing was due to take place today. The City of London Police overseas anti-corruption unit searched seven premises in the UK in raids co-ordinated with the arrests in Nevada. The head of the unit, Deputy Superintendent Colin Cowan, said: "Over the past three years the unit has been working with our colleagues in the FBI and Department of Justice on a focused and targeted investigation."

The men were held under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and accused of trying to obtain a £9 million contract to supply an African nation with weapons for its presidential guard.

The defendants allegedly agreed to pay a 20 per cent commission to a sales agent they believed represented the defence minister for the African country. The sales agent was an undercover FBI agent.

The Department of Justice did not name the UK firms involved. A spokesman said: "It was initially thought three British citizens had been arrested. After a court appearance it was found two of the other men arrested were British citizens."