The Wall Street Journal is reporting that German and Russian authorities are investigating whether executives at Hewlett-Packard paid out millions in bribe money to secure a contract for a “a state-of-the-art computer system designed to provide secure communications for prosecutors throughout Russia.”
The precise dates of the alleged bad acts are not completely clear from the article. But two references in the piece suggest they occurred during the middle months of 2003. That of course would place it during the tenure of now-Senate candidate Carly Fiorina as the company’s CEO (1999-2005).
Though the investigation appears to be centered in Europe, it could trigger an SEC probe since foreign bribery by American companies falls under the Foreign Corrupt Practice Act.
