group Petrofac has called in laywers and auditors to investigate claims a former executive paid $2m to clinch a major oil deal in Kuwait.

The services firm has found itself at the centre of a global corruption scandal that emerged after leaked documents suggested that Monaco-based Unaoil paid bribes on behalf of oil companies, including Petrofac.

Petrofac said it is “determined” to investigate the allegations, which were first reported in Melbourne-based newspaper The Age last week.

According to emails seen by the newspaper, Petrofac’s former vice-president Peter Warner requested that Unaoil’s make “confidential payments” via a bank account in Pacific tax haven the Marshall Islands.

Similar payments were allegedly made by Unaoil to secure oil contracts in countries including Kazakhstan, Kuwait and Iraq.

Mr Warner left Petrofac in 2014 and later took up a position on the board of Unaoil.