Report: Wal-Mart hushed up bribery campaign to build stores across Mexico

[Judi Lynn]

Report: Wal-Mart hushed up bribery campaign to build stores across Mexico
Published: Sunday, April 22, 2012, 2:20 AM Updated: Sunday, April 22, 2012, 2:25 AM
By The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Wal-Mart Stores Inc. hushed up a vast bribery campaign that top executives of its Mexican subsidiary carried out to build stores across that country, according to a published report.

The New York Times reported Saturday that Wal-Mart failed to notify law enforcement officials even after its own investigators found evidence of millions of dollars in bribes. The newspaper said the company shut down its internal probe despite a report by its lead investigator that Mexican and U.S. laws likely were violated.

The bribery campaign was reported to have first come to the attention of senior executives at Wal-Mart in 2005, when a former executive of its largest foreign subsidiary, Wal-Mart de Mexico, provided extensive details of a bribery campaign it had orchestrated to win market dominance.

The Mexican executive, previously the lawyer in charge of obtaining construction permits, said in emails and follow-up conversations that Wal-Mart de Mexico paid bribes to obtain permits throughout the country in its rush to build stores nationwide, the Times reported.

More:
http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/04/report_wal-mart_hushed_up_brib.html

[customerserviceguy]

1. It's interesting to see the outrage over this

It's Mexico, bribery is a way of life.

[Sherman A1]

2. While you might be correct

It is still a violation of Mexican & US Law.

[customerserviceguy]

5. Yes, it is

But outrage? I would expect bribery, it's just a matter of not getting caught.

[CanonRay]

3. Notice how quickly this story went away

Did anybody call for a Justice Dept. investigation. Was Mr. Holder on the TeeVee promising a swift investigation. Nada.

[Odin2005]

4. Here in the US such bribes are called "campaign contributions".

the "culture of corruption" in many developing countries is often discussed, but own own culture of corruption is downplayed or ignored because it is framed so people don't think it is corruption.