14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has confirmed in a public statement that it’s now working with the United States government to investigate allegations that some company employees at specific subsidiaries across the world have been involved in illegal activities.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Microsoft executives in Pakistan and Russia have bribed local government officials to win supplier contracts.
“We take every allegation seriously, and we cooperate fully in any government inquiries. 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,” John Frank, vice president and deputy general counsel, Microsoft, says in a statement.
“We also invest heavily in proactive training, monitoring and audits to ensure our business operations around the world meet the highest legal and ethical standards.”
One of allegations claim that a Microsoft employee offered a Pakistani government official and his wife a five-day holiday in Egypt, just to make sure that the tech giant wins a software contract worth millions of dollars.
John Frank explains that Microsoft has appointed a team of 50 experts who are looking into any bribery claims across the world, so the company is expected to reach a conclusion in this new case in the coming months.
“Compliance is the job of every employee at the company, but we also have a group of professionals focused directly on ensuring compliance. 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,” John Frank continued.
“This is a reflection of the size and complexity of our business, and the seriousness with which we take meeting our obligations.”
Back in March, it has emerged that the US Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) were looking into report of bribery in China, Italy, and Romania for software contracts estimated at tens of million dollars.