Story by
Jon Russell
Jon Russell was Asia Editor for The Next Web from 2011 to 2014. Originally from the UK, he lives in Bangkok, Thailand. You can find him on T Jon Russell was Asia Editor for The Next Web from 2011 to 2014. Originally from the UK, he lives in Bangkok, Thailand. You can find him on Twitter, Angel List, LinkedIn.
Microsoft has confirmed media reports that it is working with the US government to investigate claims that it sanctioned bribes for officials in Russia and Pakistan in order to win supplier contracts.
The Wall Street Journal reported that an ongoing probe focused on suspected illegal activity in China, Bulgaria and Italy has been expanded to include Russia and Pakistan; that’s a fact that John Frank, Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Microsoft, acknowledged in a blog post.
“Like other large companies with operations around the world, we sometimes receive allegations about potential misconduct by employees or business partners, and we investigate them fully, regardless of the source,” Frank wrote, explaining that the company has a 50 person-strong internal investigation team and 120 legal compliance officers.
The Journal says the bribery allegations include a claim that Microsoft bankrolled a Pakistani government official and his wife’s five-day holiday to Egypt in exchange for a contract.
➤ Upholding legal and ethical standards [Microsoft] | Wall Street Journal
Headline image via AFP / Getty Images
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