German car maker Daimler AG has agreed to pay US$200 million to resolve US allegations that it paid bribes to win overseas business contracts, according to a report by Bloomberg. As part of the deal, two of Daimler AG’s subsidiaries will also plead guilty to having paid bribes to foreign government officials.
Citing unnamed sources familiar with the deal, the report said that Daimler has agreed to the payment to settle a US Department of Justice (DoJ) probe on whether it had violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), as well as a civil probe by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The deal has been submitted by government lawyers to a US district court judge for approval. A spokesperson for Daimler said: “We are in discussions with the DoJ and SEC regarding consensually resolving the agencies’ investigations. There can be no assurances about whether and when settlement with the DoJ and SEC will become final and effective.”
Both US agencies declined to comment.
According to the report, the probes centred on a whistle-blower claim by an auditor at the car-marker’s former DaimlerCrysler subsidiary. The auditor, David Bazzetta, claimed in 2004 that he was fired after he learnt that the car-maker had kept secret bank accounts to bribe foreign government officials, and complained to his superiors. Mr Bazzetta dropped his complaint in 2005 after his claim was settled, the report said.
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