The U.S. Justice Department announced the news on January 10. In addition, SAP will enter into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors who accuse SAP of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. According to prosecutors, SAP bribed government officials in Indonesia and South Africa.
“SAP bribed officials at state-owned enterprises in South Africa and Indonesia to obtain valuable government business,” said Nicole Argentieri, acting assistant attorney general.
According to a statement from the Justice Department, SAP and its employees bribed officials in the two countries with cash, political donations, and luxury goods.
SAP also had to pay $98 million to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC accused SAP of recording bribes paid to officials in Azerbaijan, Ghana, Indonesia, Malawi, Kenya and South Africa on its own books as “legitimate business expenses.”
In total, SAP must pay more than $235 million.
This is one of the world’s largest bribery settlements, according to CNBC . It is also the second time SAP has settled bribery charges with U.S. authorities. In 2016, the company paid $3.7 million to the SEC over a bribery scheme in Panama.
The settlements close all compliance issues that were under investigation in the U.S. and South Africa, an SAP spokesperson said. “The past conduct of these former colleagues and partners does not reflect SAP’s values or commitment to ethics,” the spokesperson said.
(According to CNBC)
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