Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Argentina: A country so good at bribery and corruption that...

..even when they get caught in the act, they get to look good and it costs them virtually nothing.

Here we go with two extracts from this SEC ruling today.

The agreement with Tenaris involves allegations that the global manufacturer of steel pipe products violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) by bribing Uzbekistan government officials during a bidding process to supply pipelines for transporting oil and natural gas. The SEC alleges that Tenaris made almost $5 million in profits when it was subsequently awarded several contracts by the Uzbekistan government. Under the terms of the DPA, Tenaris must pay $5.4 million in disgorgement and prejudgment interest.

.........

“Tenaris’s conduct was clearly in violation of the FCPA. The company’s employees bribed government officials in Uzbekistan to obtain government contracts. But when Tenaris discovered the illegal conduct, it took noteworthy steps to address the violations and significantly enhance its anti-corruption policies and practices to remediate weaknesses in its internal controls.”

Argentina, que pais generoso!