At Horseferry Road magistrates court, his counsel William Clegg said the US was not the victim. "This is an offense directed against the country of Nigeria," he said.

US government counsel David Perry QC claimed that Tesler's conduct had "clear links with the US." He said US contractors received the benefit of corrupt payments totalling $132m transmitted by Tesler via Chase Manhattan, a bank in New York. In one of the largest penalties in US corporate history, Halliburton and associated companies have already paid out $579m for breaching anti-corruption laws over the Nigerian scandal.

The Nigerian government had set up a committee to investigate the involvement of Nigerian officials in the bribery scam. Though the committee, headed by the Inspector-General of Police, had interrogated a number of former public officers, it is yet to make a report public.

Bribes were paid out over a period of a decade on behalf of a consortium that was handed contracts worth $6bn to construct liquefied natural gas plants at Bonny Island. The Texas-based US chief executive of the subsidiary concerned, Jack Stanley, faces a potential seven-year jail sentence after pleading guilty to creaming off kickbacks from the bribe money.

US authorities say two Britons played key roles in the bribery scam: Tesler and another British resident, Wojcieh Chodan, who was an executive at Halliburton's UK subsidiary company MW Kellogg, headquartered in west London. Chodan faces separate extradition proceedings in the new year. Tesler denies any wrongdoing. His case is expected to continue into next month.

Halliburton has operated in Mexico for more than 60 years.

Founded in 1919, Halliburton is one of the world's largest providers of products and services to the energy industry. With more than 50,000 employees in approximately 70 countries, the company serves the upstream oil and gas industry throughout the life cycle of the reservoir-from locating hydrocarbons and managing geological data, to drilling and formation evaluation, well construction and completion, and optimizing production through the life of the field. Visit the company's Web site at www.halliburton.com.

Forward-Looking Statements: The statements in this press release that are not historical statements, including statements regarding future financial performance, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. These statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the company's control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: changes in capital spending by customers; execution of long-term, fixed-price contracts; changes in the demand for or price of oil and/or natural gas; structural changes in the oil and natural gas industry; consequences of audits and investigations by domestic and foreign government agencies and legislative bodies and related publicity; potential adverse proceedings by such agencies; protection of intellectual property rights; compliance with environmental laws; changes in government regulations and regulatory requirements, particularly those related to radioactive sources, explosives, and chemicals; compliance with laws related to income taxes and assumptions regarding the generation of future taxable income; unsettled political conditions, war, and the effects of terrorism, foreign operations, and foreign exchange rates and controls; weather-related issues including the effects of hurricanes and tropical storms; impairment of oil and gas properties; increased competition for employees; availability of raw materials; and integration of acquired businesses and operations of joint ventures. Halliburton's Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008, Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2009, and recent Current Reports on Form 8-K, and other Securities and Exchange Commission filings discuss some of the important risk factors identified that may affect the business, results of operations, and financial condition. Halliburton undertakes no obligation to revise or update publicly any forward-looking statements for any reason.

SOURCE: Halliburton

Halliburton, Investor Relations 
Christian Garcia, 281/871-2688 
or 
Halliburton, Corporate Affairs 
Cathy Mann, 281/871-2601

Founded in 1919, Halliburton is one of the world's largest providers of products and services to the energy industry. With more than 50,000 employees in approximately 70 countries, the company serves the upstream oil and gas industry throughout the life cycle of the reservoir -- from locating hydrocarbons and managing geological data, to drilling and formation evaluation, well construction and completion, and optimizing production through the life of the field. Visit the company's Web site at www.halliburton.com.

SOURCE: Halliburton

Halliburton 
Brad Baethe, +1-281-575-3197 
Public Relations 
brad.baethe@halliburton.com