14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has issued a public statement on the US government’s investigation over the bribery claims in China, Italy and Romania, saying that the company is looking to fully cooperate with any government inquiries.
John Frank, vice president & deputy general counsel, Microsoft, says in a statement that it’s no surprise that Microsoft is accused of illegal activity, as many large companies across the world are forced to deal with similar issues every once in a while.
“We sometimes receive allegations about potential misconduct by employees or business partners, and we investigate them fully, regardless of the source. We also invest heavily in proactive training, compliance systems, monitoring and audits to ensure our business operations around the world meet the highest legal and ethical standards,” Frank states.
The Microsoft official then goes on to reveal some important statistics which support Microsoft’s case, emphasizing that the Redmond-based giant is trying to prevent every single accusation of policy breaching.
“We have more than 50 people whose primary role is investigating potential breaches of company policy, and an additional 120 people whose primary role is compliance. In addition, we sometimes retain outside law firms to conduct or assist with investigations. This is a reflection of the size and complexity of our business and the seriousness with which we take meeting our obligations,” he explains.
As for the current claims, Frank refuses to comment on the investigation, but he emphasizes that in certain cases, some Microsoft “individual” employees or business partners might violate policies and break the law.
While this could be an indication that Microsoft knows something that we don’t know, the company pledged to investigate every single case and take the appropriate action every single time.
At this point, both the United States Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission are looking into the issue, so expect more details to emerge anytime soon.