Hewlett Packard and Lots of FCPA Red Flags

In April 2010 the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that HP's German subsidiary made payments, through agents, which eventually ended up in the hands of some unknown Russians, in order to obtain the contract to supply computers to the Russian Prosecutor's Office. There was a complicated financing scheme used to route payments to offshore accounts which were beneficially owned or controlled by unnamed Russian officials. Suspected bribes were funneled through a network of shell companies and accounts in places including Britain, Austria, Switzerland, the British Virgin Islands, Belize, New Zealand, Latvia, Lithuania and the US states of Delaware and Wyoming. The bribes were paid through three German agents, who submitted fake invoices for fictional sales and then paid the money on as bribes to unnamed Russian governmental officials. In return, the suspected middlemen acting as agents, according to court documents allegedly received commissions totaling US $700,000. Posted in: Collusive Networks