US company fined for paying bribes in Mexico, Panama

[Judi Lynn]

Source: McClatchy Newspapers

US company fined for paying bribes in Mexico, Panama
By TIM JOHNSON
McClatchy Newspapers
Published Wednesday, March 14, 2012

MEXICO CITY —

An Oklahoma company that provides aircraft maintenance services agreed Wednesday to pay an $11.8 million criminal penalty for bribing officials in Mexico and Panama to obtain business.

The Justice Department said that BizJet, a Tulsa firm, had bribed officials at four Mexican state and federal agencies and the Panama civil aviation authority. It said top officials at BizJet "orchestrated, authorized and approved" of the payoffs.

BizJet said in a statement that its German parent company, Lufthansa Technik AG, discovered the corruption, voluntarily notified U.S. authorities and "fully cooperated" in the U.S. investigation.

The case is the latest against U.S. companies and foreign firms with a U.S. presence that operate in Latin America and are found in violation of the far-reaching Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Other cases in recent years have involved bribe payments in Costa Rica, Argentina and Brazil.



Read more: http://www.islandpacket.com/2012/03/14/1999972/us-company-fined-for-paying-bribes.html#storylink=cpy

[Ken Burch]

1. Now, of course, they'll get out of paying the fines

by bribing somebody...

[Peregrine]

2. Actually it is a requirement to bribe officials in most Latin American and African countries

I worked for a large aerospace company a few years back. We spent millions on developing concepts for the Chilean government only to back away in the 11th hour of negotiations because very high ranking officials required payment of bribes inorder for us to be awarded the contract.

In Nigeria we were negotiating an agreement for a data mining system for satellite imagery and data. They were going to use it to build an "oil pipeline and water treatment facilities." Nigeria as it turns out will only contract with a single local Nigerian company (owned by the then president, treasury minister, and their families) who then would subcontract to us for a fee. Backed out of that one.

[Kolesar]

5. I knew you were going to say "Nigeria".

Government officials always expect bribes from contractors who want to earn public money by selling to their countries.

[saghtykty]

3. Spam deleted by William769 (MIR Team)

[fasttense]

4. Now they should apply the exact same laws to Murdock's empire.

He has been bribing English politician for years.

[BlueToTheBone]

6. isn't that a separate crime?

Foreign governments act, or something like that?