Alstom agrees record fine for foreign bribery with US Justice Department

Alstom, the French industrial group, has agreed to pay US$772m as a fine - a sum which will be the largest penalty paid by a business to the department for foreign bribery.

The fine relates to bribes of $75m which were paid to government officials in different parts of the world. Alstom pleaded guilty to falsifying books and records as well as to having inadequate controls which allowed bribes to be paid in Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Taiwan and the Bahamas.

Old Friend

The company had tried to conceal the payment of bribes by going through 'consultants' - who were given code names such as 'Mr Geneva' and 'Old Friend' - to hand over the money to the governmennt officials. Source: Financial Times

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