Armed Russian Authorities Raid IBM's Moscow Office

[OhioChick]

The motive for the raid was not immediately clear. A spokesman for IBM said the company is "cooperating with the authorities" but declined further comment.
By Paul McDougall
InformationWeek
Dec 6, 2006 02:00 PM

Russian law enforcement personnel armed with automatic weapons swept through IBM's offices in Moscow Wednesday morning, seizing documents as they went, according to sources familiar with the operation.

The motive for the raid was not immediately clear. A spokesman for IBM said the company is "cooperating with the authorities" but declined further comment.

A blogger who works at the office said the raid was carried out by the OMON special forces unit attached to Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs. "Masked people with machine guns are wandering around the office ... they told us to leave our belongings and cell phones there and leave the room," the blogger wrote.

The blogger's comments appeared Wednesday in a report on a Web site operated by Moscow-based news agency Regnum.
http://www.informationweek.com/outsourcing/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=196602057



Reports: IBM's Moscow offices searched

MOSCOW

Russian law enforcement officers searched the offices of several computer companies Wednesday, including the Moscow headquarters of IBM Corp., apparently in connection with a graft investigation at the Russian Pension Fund, Russian news agencies reported.

"All that I can say now about the searches in the Moscow representative office is that we are cooperating with the Russian authorities in respect of the investigation into our business in Russia," IBM official Jonathan Batty was quoted as saying by the RIA-Novosti agency. "So far it's too early to talk about the nature of the investigation."

Computer companies Lanit and R-Style also were searched, the agency said.

IBM officials could not be reached for comment.
http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D8LRG75G0.htm

[truthisfreedom]

1. Russia seems bent on making US companies as uncomfortable as possible over there...

Not too good for business.

[TheLastMohican]

4. Those companies

may be involved in a possible money fraud linking them to the purchase of computers by Governmental Pension Fund. Talking about robbing the elderly people blind.
Have you ever seen a receipt for the goods or services which charges far more than the thing actually costs? This is a way to make big money fairly "legal".

[Flabbergasted]

2. Graft? WTH

[Kellyiswise]

3. This should not be taken lightly. The bear is merely hibernating.

Alot is afoot in Russia.

[donsu]

5. agree

nt