Report: Wal-Mart hushed up bribery campaign to build stores across Mexico
Source: Associated Press
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.
Read more: http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2012/04/report_wal-mart_hushed_up_brib.html
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)Riftaxe
(2,693 posts)Mexico, Morocco...all i can say is I am shocked that there is gambling going on...
Not to sure about the original topic tho, doing business in some foreign countries, graft and bribes are necessity that brings food to the plates of American Workers (not even my forgiving side, suspects this about Walmart though)
marmar
(77,077 posts)Though not officially termed bribes, what are generous campaign contributions?
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)...such as a cop or local government official.
BadtotheboneBob
(413 posts)"The Little Bite"... a way of life there. I've had to do myself with the local authorities in Nuevo Laredo and Monterrey. It's the old story of "You can pay me now, or pay me more later". It was annoying, but not an over much amount. That was back in the early '70's. I wouldn't cross the bridge into Nuevo Laredo now for anything.
Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)Just the right photo
Judi Lynn
(160,525 posts)Vast Mexico Bribery Case Hushed Up by Wal-Mart
After Top-Level Struggle
Confronted with evidence of widespread corruption in Mexico, top Wal-Mart executives focused more on damage control than on rooting out wrongdoing, an examination by The New York Times found.
By DAVID BARSTOW
Published: April 21, 2012
MEXICO CITY In September 2005, a senior Wal-Mart lawyer received an alarming e-mail from a former executive at the companys largest foreign subsidiary, Wal-Mart de Mexico. In the e-mail and follow-up conversations, the former executive described how Wal-Mart de Mexico had orchestrated a campaign of bribery to win market dominance. In its rush to build stores, he said, the company had paid bribes to obtain permits in virtually every corner of the country.
The former executive gave names, dates and bribe amounts. He knew so much, he explained, because for years he had been the lawyer in charge of obtaining construction permits for Wal-Mart de Mexico.
Wal-Mart dispatched investigators to Mexico City, and within days they unearthed evidence of widespread bribery. They found a paper trail of hundreds of suspect payments totaling more than $24 million. They also found documents showing that Wal-Mart de Mexicos top executives not only knew about the payments, but had taken steps to conceal them from Wal-Marts headquarters in Bentonville, Ark. In a confidential report to his superiors, Wal-Marts lead investigator, a former F.B.I. special agent, summed up their initial findings this way: There is reasonable suspicion to believe that Mexican and USA laws have been violated.
~snip~
Neither American nor Mexican law enforcement officials were notified. None of Wal-Mart de Mexicos leaders were disciplined. Indeed, its chief executive, Eduardo Castro-Wright, identified by the former executive as the driving force behind years of bribery, was promoted to vice chairman of Wal-Mart in 2008. Until this article, the allegations and Wal-Marts investigation had never been publicly disclosed.
More:
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/22/business/at-wal-mart-in-mexico-a-bribe-inquiry-silenced.html
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Last Updated: Friday, 15 October, 2004, 16:56 GMT 17:56 UK
Mexican wrath over Wal-Mart store
Mexican writers and artists have joined a campaign to stop the US retailer, Wal-Mart, from opening a store near the famous ruins of Teotihuacan.
In an open letter to President Vicente Fox, the group says the store should be built further away from the ruins.
Those who signed the letter include painter Francisco Toledo and novelist Laura Esquivel.
Correspondents say as the store is almost complete, the campaign is unlikely to succeed.
"Teotihuacan is for Mexicans our greatest cultural heritage, an expression of our history and our identity as a people and nation," the writers and artists said in the letter.
More:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3747580.stm
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Mexican Citizens Protest Wal-Mart Near Ancient Pyramids
| Written by admin| Updated on Sep 13, 2004
A citizens group has filed legal appeals and staged demonstrations in an attempt to stop Wal-Mart from building a megastore near the ancient pyramids of Teotihuacan, about 30 miles northeast of Mexico City.
The massive store, which would carry the logo of Bodega Aurrera, one of Wal-Marts Mexican subsidiaries, would be visible from the top of the Pyramid of the Sun, the largest Pre-Columbian stone pyramid in the Western Hemisphere.
Teotihuacan was a thriving city of 150,000 people about 2,500 years ago. At its core is a large religious and ceremonial complex, which includes several temples, the Avenue of the Dead, and the pyramids of the sun and moon. No one knows why, but around 700 AD, Teotihuacans population disappeared. The ancient city was discovered and named by the Aztecs about 600 years later.
Today, only the core religious complex is fully protected. Wal-Mart is building on farmland in a "buffer" zone adjacent to the protected area, less than a mile from the Pyramid of the Sun. Wal-Marts private archeologist insists that only a few isolated artifacts have been found on the construction site. The company says an unearthed altar will be displayed under Plexiglas in the stores parking lot.
More:
http://www.ilsr.org/retail/news/mexican-citizens-protest-walmart-near-ancient-pyramids/
a la izquierda
(11,791 posts)From the top of the Pyramid of the Sun, when one surveys the landscape around the area, it is pretty evident that the little hills and mounds are not natural features of the land, but very likely un-excavated archaeological sites.
And they want to display 1500 year old artifacts under plexiglas in the PARKING LOT?!??? That is just revolting.
To hell with Walmart.
EFerrari
(163,986 posts)slackmaster
(60,567 posts)Trillo
(9,154 posts)that some "people" became so big by bribery.
fasttense
(17,301 posts)Even in foreign countries and in Mexico it is illegal to bribe public officials.
The law does NOT make allowances for Wal-Mart or to expedite business opportunities. It is illegal plain and simple.
Every person in Wal-Mart who knew about the bribery, conducted the bribery or covered up the bribery should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. That's how a system of laws is suppose to work. If you do something illegal you are prosecuted.
But of course the uber rich have destroyed the rule of law and now we merely prosecute the poor, middle class, whistle blowers and scape goats. America is now run on the rule of the whim of the rich white man in power at the moment.
If the US prosecuted bribery, than the value of the uber rich's money deflates. What value to control power would money have if the uber rich and corporations were not allowed to bribe powerful people or give them campaign contributions?
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)...comes as no surprise. The use of bribery is endemic in Mexican government at all levels.
closeupready
(29,503 posts)So you are not subject to the law in question, if the law applies only to a corporation doing business abroad. I could be wrong, but I thought that law was very specific.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)closeupready
(29,503 posts)So try your one-liner again.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)Habari yako?
amandabeech
(9,893 posts)I worked with it a bit a long time ago.
It will allow a few unemployed attorneys to rejoin the workforce!
Gman
(24,780 posts)underpants
(182,788 posts)why would county commissioners and boards forgo property tax (a staple of Walmart demands) knowing full well that sales tax can't possibly make up for it?
I would not be surprised if Walmart lines some pockets here in the states as well.
EFerrari
(163,986 posts)earthside
(6,960 posts)"If these allegations are true, it is not a reflection of who we are or what we stand for," spokesman David Tovar said.
Ah, if the allegations are true ... it absolutely is exactly who you are, isn't it?
bayareaboy
(793 posts)under the table, it can come above the table or just sitting there.
Which is worse though is how Wal-Mart does it in America by packing a hall with lots of experts, their experts of course to tell us that we should get red of small business with crap made in China. Oh and union contracts don't count when can buy sclock at such cheap prices, right!
So which has less bribery folks?
crunch60
(1,412 posts)A corruption match made in heaven...Mexico and WalMart..this is the way business is done south of the border...
The Walton Family didn't know?? BS!! Their Father would roll-over in his grave if he knew...Shame to all.
They bought out American politicians so they could destroy the American economy . Wal mart money talks and Americans jobs walk .
crim son
(27,464 posts)If you've been stopped for a traffic infraction there, you'd know this.
eilen
(4,950 posts)That corruption is endemic.
My friend went to visit her family's home city in India recently and said the police will always ask for money, particularly if the know you are visiting from the US. However, you don't have to pay them.
slackmaster
(60,567 posts)Mexico tied with several other countries for the honor of being perceived as the 100th LEAST corrupt country in the world.
http://www.transparency.org/content/download/64426/1030807
Democrats_win
(6,539 posts)Judi Lynn
(160,525 posts)Wal-Mart bribery scandal seen undermining effort to soften U.S. anti-corruption statute
03 May 2012 10:59
Source: Content partner // Thomson Reuters Accelus
By Brett Wolf
News that Wal-Mart may have tried to cover up bribes paid by its Mexico unit will make it difficult for Congress to weaken an anti-bribery statute loathed by the U.S. business community, at least in the short term, sources say.
"My conclusion is that the Wal-Mart article makes it impossible to change the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act at the moment," said Peter Henning, a professor at Wayne State University Law School.
The New York Times reported last week that in September 2005, a senior Wal-Mart lawyer received an email from a former executive at the company's largest foreign unit, Wal-Mart de Mexico, describing how the subsidiary had paid bribes to obtain permits to build stores in the country.
Wal-Mart sent investigators to Mexico City and found a paper trail of hundreds of suspect payments totaling more than $24 million, but the company's leaders shut down the investigation and neglected to notify U.S. or Mexican law enforcement officials, the Times reported. Wal-Mart has said it began an investigation into its Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) compliance last fall. It said it disclosed the probe to the U.S. Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission and declined to give any more details or to make executives available for comment.
More:
http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/news/detail.dot?id=b3fd9680-d962-4e9c-ae2e-fe2b421d8dc3