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Siemens Pays Record Fine In Probe 2008年12月16日 A record $800 million in fines for bribery allegations levied against Siemens AG on Monday could have been much higher if the German engineering and industrial conglomerate hadn't taken steps to cooperate with prosecutors, officials and lawyers say.
When the government investigation became known in late 2006, Siemens quickly turned to New York law firm Debevoise & Plimpton LLP. The move highlights a widespread practice in the U.S., where prosecutors encourage companies to hire private-sector investigators and then share the information with authorities.
In return, companies can expect more lenient fines and sanctions.
In a Friday court filing, the Justice Department said it could have sought as much as $2.7 billion in criminal damages from Siemens. In arguing for a lesser fine, it cited the 'extraordinary' steps taken by Siemens to cooperate with authorities and to beef up its compliance procedures.
The filing said Debevoise's 'frequent and extensive reports' to U.S. authorities helped the Justice Department's own investigation 'enormously.' Authorities add the probes could have lasted much longer and the fines could have been more than twice as high.
Siemens said it paid more than $850 million in fees and expenses to Debevoise and the accounting firm Deloitte & Touche. Debevoise employed about 100 lawyers and more than 100 support staff to direct the investigation. Deloitte used about 1,300 forensic accountants and support staff, Siemens added.
A Washington, D.C., federal court on Monday ratified the settlement, in which Siemens agreed to pay separate fines of $450 million and $350 million to end litigation claims by the Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission, respectively. It was by far the largest penalty ever imposed under the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
In addition, Europe's largest engineering company by revenue said it would pay an additional 395 million euros in Germany to settle criminal investigations there. The fines are in addition to a 201 million euro fine levied by a Munich court last year in connection with allegations the company paid more than $1 billion in bribes to gain contracts over a decade.
As part of Monday's settlement, Munich-based Siemens didn't have to admit to the bribery allegations, allowing it to keep bidding for U.S. public-sector projects. Instead, it admitted to having had inadequate controls and keeping improper accounts.
David Crawford / Mike Esterl 西门子在美国被判天价罚金 周一，西门子公司因涉嫌贿赂在美国被处以创纪录的8亿美元罚金。官员和律师表示，如果不是因为这家德国大型工程和工业集团公司采取措施配合检方工作，罚金本来还会更高。
早在2006年底，当获知美国政府在进行调查时，西门子迅速聘用了纽约Debevoise & Plimpton LLP律师事务所。西门子的举动反映了美国的一种普遍做法，即检方鼓励企业聘用民间调查机构，然后与政府机构分享所获得的信息。
相应地，企业因此有可能得到较温和的罚款处理和制裁。
Reuters
西门子在慕尼黑的一幢大楼司法部在上周五的法庭文件中说，本来它有可能对西门子处以27亿美元的刑事赔偿。在说明最后决定大大降低罚金数额的原因时，文件称西门子采取了“不同寻常”的措施配合当局，并强化了自己的合规程序。
文件称，Debevoise频繁地向联邦当局报告大量信息，对司法部的调查工作帮助“很大”。当局称，它们的调查本来可能会持续更长时间、对西门子的罚金有可能是现在的两倍多。
西门子称，它向Debevoise和会计师行德勤支付的相关费用超过8.5亿美元。西门子说，Debevoise雇用了约100名律师和100多名辅助人员指导调查，德勤则动用了大约1,300名法律会计人员和辅助人员参与工作。
哥伦比亚特区联邦法庭周一批准了和解协议。根据协议，西门子同意分别支付4.5亿美元和3.5亿美元罚金，以终结司法部和美国证券交易委员会分别提出的诉讼要求。这是迄今为止根据美国《反海外腐败法》开出的最高金额的罚单。
此外，西门子称，它将另外支付3.95亿欧元（5.28亿美元）以就德国国内的刑事调查达成和解。去年，针对有关西门子在10年内为拿到合同行贿超过10亿美元的指控，慕尼黑一家法庭判处西门子2.01亿欧元罚金。西门子是欧洲销售收入最高的工程类公司。
根据周一的和解协议，西门子不必承认贿赂指控，且可继续参与美国公共项目的竞标。而西门子则承认有管控不力、账目不清的情况。
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发表于 2016-8-12 16:31:38