The bribes of Wal-Mart

International Federal legislators have information on those practices The bribes of Wal-Mart By: Carlos Damián August 27, 2012 The company doesn't give requested documents, neither it allows interviews México. – Two influential legislators that head an investigation on the financial operations of the branches of abroad Wal-Mart noticed today to the executive in boss of the company that they not only have “internal” information about practical of bribes, but also of escape of taxes, and laundry of money in the branch of Mexico. The letter to Michael T. Duke (MTD), executive in Wal-Mart Stores, dated August 14 and signed by the democratic federal representatives, Elijah Cummings (EC), and Henry Waxman (HW), he notices that “Wal-Mart could not only have had execution problems in relationship with bribes, but with behavior 'financial questionable', including escape of taxes and laundry of money in Mexico." The letter informs MTD that this would be the “last opportunity” so that he and its company respond to applications of information it has more than enough allegations that its company violated the law of abroad Corrupt Practical, since this prohibit expressly that companies and other American entities look for to influence in other countries through bribes and other illicit practices. They complain that although the company has expressed that it will cooperate fully with the investigation legislative, “the documents that we have requested, has not surrendered and it continues refusing access to key witness", that which prevents them to evaluate the internal investigation of the company around accusations that it used bribes in Mexico. They investigate The States bribes and laundry of money The democratic legislator of more range in the Supervision Committee and Government Reformation EC, and HW representative of more range in the Committee about Energy and Trade of the Chamber of Representatives. Both democrats began the investigation after the periodic NYT, published an extensive report in April like Wal-Mart - Mexico bribed officials in that country to speed up steps to get lands to install their stores, and how the American brand could have suppressed and hidden to the authorities of both countries. It included in that information bribes until for 24 million dollars, mainly to local politicians and bureaucratic, to win domain in the Mexican market, like part of an expansion strategy in the country. It is revealed that the main company, when receiving a former lawyer's accusation involved in these practices, began an internal investigation that it discovered tests of possible illicit practices. However the directive of this corporate one in The States closed the case without notifying officially to the American authorities, and less still to the Mexicans. Meanwhile in 2008 they promoted the executive in boss in Mexico, Eduardo Castro Wright, to vice-president of the American brand, partly for their “extraordinary results in Mexico." The corporate one doesn't give the documents requested by authorities The information poured in The Day (4/23/12), the strategies of this company were examined in Mexico and their quick ascent to become the biggest commercial company in the country in short time. The legislators give to know that their investigation reveals that the concerns have more than enough potential violations of the law anti-corruption for the company they are not limited to their operations in Mexico, but would rather they are “of global character". The legislators highlight that the company has not presented a document of those requested; neither has it allowed access to the investigators, legislatives to interview the taken charge employees that the company fulfills the law against the corruption. They notice that they offer it this last opportunity to respond to the allegations in your against before to emit a report on the investigation and to make public documents that have been obtained in the course of the investigation. They fix August 28 like date limit to fulfill the delivery of documents and the interviews with the employees that have been requested. The Department of Justice of United States and the Commission of Values (stock-exchange), they are also investigating the matter, and the biggest commercial company in the world affirms that it is cooperating, Reuter’s report. The smuggling of cigarettes The nets of the organized crime that manage smuggling of cigarettes point more and more to Mexico and Brazil, to generate illicit earnings, which help to finance illicit business, denounced today in Panama investigators and executives of tobacco signatures. The former district attorney Panamanian superior Ramiro Esquivel (RE), he affirmed that there are evidences of the connections among groups of the drug traffic, the smuggling of cigarettes and the falsification of products that pass through the area free of Colon (ZLC), to countries of the region. RE indicated that, in spite of a bigger detection of full containers of cigarettes, the smuggling increases to be a lucrative business in which has intruded the organized crime. He added that more than 60 percent of the cigarettes sold in Panama they are of smuggling, and it sustained that it is necessary to persuade the consumers that “when buying smuggling products they can be financing the drug indirectly, and to the terrorism” in the entire world. Alfonso Cordon, manager of Protection of Brand name of British American Tobacco for the Caribbean and Central America, sustained that the actions of the Mexican criminal group ‘Los Zetas’ have moved toward the south of the hemisphere and they have influences in Guatemala, Honduras and the Salvador. The Cartel of Los Zetas has 50 percent of its business by the trade of the drugs and the other 50 percent it resides in operations with products like cigarettes and falsified trade mark, people's illegal traffics, and riffles of assault. (La Jornada, economia, p.p. 6 – 30, August 15, 2012).