Hewlett-Packard fined $ 58 million for the bribery of officials in Russia

The San Francisco court fined the company Hewlett-Packard for $ 58.8 million for bribing Russian officials, RBC reports with reference to the press service of the US Department of Justice. The fine became part of the amount of $ 108 million, which the HP in April pledged to pay the US authorities for corruption offenses in Russia, Poland and Mexico.

The indictment verdict indicates that CJSC "Hewlett-Packard" gave bribes to Russian officials for a major technological contract with the Russian Prosecutor General worth 35 million euros. For this, employees of the Moscow branch of the American company created a secret fund, from which money went to bribes. The exact amount of the transferred amounts is not specified, but it is noted that we are talking about millions of dollars.

The essence of the scam was that the equipment went through intermediaries and forthcomous companies related to corruption officials, and was sold to the Prosecutor General at an inflated price. The funds of the secret fund also went on expensive cars, jewelry, clothes, furniture, expensive tourist trips.

The names of Russian officials who received bribes are not mentioned in the indictment.

"The most unpleasant thing is that the contract signed with the prosecutor's office. Technological companies should not create secret accounting to transfer millions of dollars in the form of bribes," said Marshal Miller, representative of American justice. Prosecutor Melinda Haga emphasized that Hewlett-Packard collaborated with the investigation.

Hewlett-Packard is also convicted that its employees gave bribes to government officials in Poland and Mexico. As for Poland, the money was paid to people who helped promote a profitable contract with the National Police Administration.

In April 2014, the HP agreed with the Ministry of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission on the extra -court settlement of the case.