Nov. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Former Noble Group Ltd. trader Marcos Penin was given a suspended 20 months prison sentence for forgery and ordered to pay the Hong Kong-based supplier of raw materials 30,000 Swiss francs ($29,210).

Penin’s sentence was suspended for 4 years on condition that he pays the company 1,500 Swiss francs a month for 20 months, Anne-Catherine Page, an assistant to the prosecutor general in canton Vaud, said by telephone yesterday. The Criminal Court of Lausanne made the ruling Oct. 30.

In addition, Penin also conceded a civil claim from Noble for approximately $38 million, according to Jeffrey Alam, Noble’s General Counsel. The terms of the payment are confidential under Swiss law, he said today.

Another former Noble trader Philip Gross was ordered by a U.K court in June to pay the company more than $38 million in damages and to return a $750,000 bonus.

Gross and Penin were suspended in 2006 after Noble said it uncovered evidence they had altered the company’s accounting records to cover up short positions taken on aluminum in December 2004 and June and July 2005. The loss on those trades was estimated at $38 million, according to documents submitted to London’s High Court.

To contact the reporter on this story: Joseph Heaven in Zurich at jheaven1@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 4, 2009 05:37 EST