Dutch dredging group Boskalis has been fined €1,000 by a court on the African island of Mauritius for making corrupt payments to a port official.

Boskalis was found guilty of bribing the former chairman of the port authority last week. The case has gone to appeal because the Mauritius justice department says the punishment is too light. The hearing is on Tuesday, the Financieele Dagblad reports.

The island’s corruption law states that anyone accused of bribery can either be imprisoned or set free. But because the plaintiff is Boskalis and not a member of staff, the court could only set a fine for the devising of corrupt payments and not for bribery.

Boskalis paid €80,000 over 2006 and 2007 to the port official to ensure it got a dredging job at Port Louis worth around €11m.