Fin24.co.za
April 14, 2006

Italy’s biggest construction company Impregilo has lost an appeal to challenge the right of the high court in Lesotho to try it for bribing officials to win a major dam contract there. The Lesotho Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal by Impregilo, which is charged with paying $1.16m to officials to secure a tender to build the Katse Dam in 1993, according to a copy of the judgment. Lesotho has already fined three companies and jailed the former head of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, Masupha Sole, on bribe charges related to the network of dams, of which Katse dam is the biggest. Officials at Impregilo have previously denied wrongdoing.