AFP, New York :
The United States fined French energy and transport giant Alstom SA $772 million for bribing government officials in Indonesia, Egypt and several other countries to win business, the US Justice Department said Friday.
Alstom pleaded guilty nearly a year ago to two criminal counts related to bribery and corruption under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
A Connecticut district court judge on Friday formally sentenced the company to pay the fine, a record under the act, after it was agreed in December 2014 in plea negotiations.
The Justice Department said Alstom, through various units including some with a US presence, “paid bribes to government officials and falsified books and records in connection with power, grid and transportation projects for state-owned entities around the world, including in Indonesia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Bahamas and Taiwan.”
In Indonesia alone, the company paid bribes to high-level officials to win $375 million in contracts with the state electricity company PLN.
“In total, Alstom paid more than $75 million to secure more than $4 billion in projects around the world, with a profit to the company of approximately $300 million,” the department said in a statement.
The United States fined French energy and transport giant Alstom SA $772 million for bribing government officials in Indonesia, Egypt and several other countries to win business, the US Justice Department said Friday.
Alstom pleaded guilty nearly a year ago to two criminal counts related to bribery and corruption under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
A Connecticut district court judge on Friday formally sentenced the company to pay the fine, a record under the act, after it was agreed in December 2014 in plea negotiations.
The Justice Department said Alstom, through various units including some with a US presence, “paid bribes to government officials and falsified books and records in connection with power, grid and transportation projects for state-owned entities around the world, including in Indonesia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Bahamas and Taiwan.”
In Indonesia alone, the company paid bribes to high-level officials to win $375 million in contracts with the state electricity company PLN.
“In total, Alstom paid more than $75 million to secure more than $4 billion in projects around the world, with a profit to the company of approximately $300 million,” the department said in a statement.
