Note 17 - Commitments and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2024

Notes to Financial Statements

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Text Block]

17. Commitments and contingencies

Commercial Commitments

During the normal course of business, we enter into commercial commitments in the form of letters of credit and bank guarantees to provide financial and performance assurance to third parties. We entered into contractual commitments for the acquisition of property, plant and equipment totaling $33.5 million and $36.7 million as of  March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively.

Contingencies

Certain conditions may exist as of the date our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements are issued that may result in a loss to us, but which will only be resolved when one or more future events occur or fail to occur. Our management, with input from legal counsel, assesses such contingent liabilities, and such assessment inherently involves an exercise of judgment. In assessing loss contingencies related to legal proceedings pending against us or unasserted claims that may result in proceedings, our management, with input from legal counsel, evaluates the perceived merits of any legal proceedings or unasserted claims as well as the perceived merits of the amount of relief sought or expected to be sought therein.

If the assessment of a contingency indicates it is probable a material loss has been incurred and the amount of liability can be reasonably estimated, then the estimated liability would be accrued in our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements. If the assessment indicates a potentially material loss contingency is not probable but is reasonably possible, or is probable but cannot be estimated, then the nature of the contingent liability, together with an estimate of the range of possible loss if determinable and material, is disclosed.

Loss contingencies considered remote are generally not disclosed unless they involve guarantees, in which case the guarantees would be disclosed. We are the subject of lawsuits and claims arising in the ordinary course of business from time to time. A liability is accrued when a loss is both probable and can be reasonably estimated. We had no material accruals for loss contingencies, individually or in the aggregate, as of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023. We believe the probability is remote that the ultimate outcome of these matters would have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

We have conducted an internal investigation of the operations of certain of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries in West Africa including possible violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, our policies and other applicable laws. In  June 2016, we voluntarily disclosed the existence of our internal review to the SEC and the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”). The DOJ has provided a declination, subject to the Company and the SEC reaching a satisfactory settlement of civil claims. On the basis of discussions with the SEC up to the end of the first quarter of 2023, we believed that a final resolution of this matter was likely to include a civil penalty in the amount of approximately $8.0 million and, accordingly, we had recorded a loss contingency in that amount within “Other current liabilities” on our condensed consolidated balance sheet, with the offset taken as an increase to goodwill as a measurement period adjustment associated with our 2021 business combination with Expro Group Holdings International Limited ( the “Merger”).

On April 26, 2023, the SEC issued a cease-and-desist order against the Company pursuant to section 21C of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”). Under this Order, the Company neither admitted nor denied any of the SEC’s findings and agreed to cease and desist from committing or causing any violations and any future violations of the anti-bribery, books and records and internal accounting controls requirements of the FCPA and the Exchange Act. In accepting the Company’s settlement offer, the SEC noted the Company’s self-reporting, co-operation afforded to the SEC staff and remedial action including improving the Company’s internal controls and further enhancements to its internal controls environment and compliance program following the Merger. The Company paid $8.0 million to the SEC in respect of disgorgement, prejudgment interest and civil penalty during the second quarter of 2023.

Other than discussed above, we had no other material legal accruals for loss contingencies, individually or in the aggregate, as of  March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023.