Two executives at a printing firm have been convicted of making corrupt payments to win contracts in Africa.

Christopher and Nick Smith of Eastbourne printing firm Smith and Ouzman Ltd have been convicted of two and three counts of corrupt payments respectively following a historic Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigation.

The pair were found guilty of bribing public officials for business contracts in Kenya and Mauritania between 2006 and 2010.

Chairman Christopher Smith, 71 and from Ripe, and sales and marketing director Nicholas Smith, 43, will be sentenced on February 12.

The case against the company, which specialises in security documents such as ballot papers and certificates, is the SFO’s first conviction of a corporate for offences involving bribery of foreign public officials.

International sales manager Timothy Forrester, 57, was acquitted of all three counts of corruptly agreeing to make payments while a sales agent not directly employed by the firm.

Abdirahman Omar, 38, was acquitted of one count of corruptly agreeing to make payments in relation to a contract in Somaliland at Southwark Crown Court yesterday.

Following the verdict at Southwark Crown Court, a spokesperson from the company said: "This has been a difficult four years for the company. Because sentencing is still pending it is not appropriate to make any further comment. Our focus now is on continuing to deliver an excellent service to our loyal customers.”