Between 2001 and 2007, Siemens TS and Siemens S.A., a regional company in Venezuela, paid an estimated $16.7 million in bribes to Venezuelan government officials in connection with the construction of metro transit systems in the cities of Valencia and Maracaibo, Venezuela. The two projects, Metro Valencia and Metro Maracaibo, generated approximately $642 million in revenue to Siemens. The Metro Valencia project was awarded to a TS entity in the United States and later transferred to Siemens, and the Metro Maracaibo project was awarded to Siemens andpart of the work was assigned to the U.S. TS entity. Each of the contracts was financed in part by the U.S. Export-Import Bank in Washington, D.C. The corrupt payments were made using four separate, overlapping payment schemes.
1. Under the first scheme, Siemens maintained a numbered, off-books bank account in Panama and either maintained a similar account in Miami or had contacts to a banker in Miami who had access to such accounts. These accounts were controlled by two CEOs and two CFOs of Siemens' regional subsidiary in Venezuela. One of the regional CFOs estimated that between 2001 and 2003 he paid $5 to $6 million per year out of the accounts, a portion of which went to government officials in support of the Venezuelan projects. The regional CFO periodically destroyed the account statements.
2. Under the second scheme, Siemens paid over $6.8 million to four U.S.- based entities controlled by a longtime Siemens business consultant. Siemens called upon the consultant, known as a political "fixer" in Venezuela and who had been an advisor to former Venezuelan presidents, to ensure political support for the Maracaibo and Valencia projects and for Siemens' role in them. Siemens made payments into the U.S. bank accounts of the four controlled entities pursuant to sham consulting agreements in return for no legitimate work. Bank records reveal payments to Venezuelan government officials and politically-connected individuals, including a high-ranking member of the central government, two prominent Venezuelan attorneys acting on behalf of government officials, a former Venezuelan defense minister and diplomat, and a relative of a local politician, all of whom had influence over these and other Siemens contracts in Venezuela. Siemens transferred an additional $4.9 million to one of the controlled entities between 2006 and 2007 by artificially inflating the terms of a contract with a U.S. engineering firm.
3. Under the third scheme, Siemens used a Cyprus-based business consultant as an intermediary to fund up to $2.5 million in bribe payments on the Valencia project. Sham agreements were entered into with the business consultant that purported to be for other Siemens projects, but were actually designed to transfer money to Valencia. This payment scheme was authorized by a former CFO of the Turnkey Division within the TS group at Siemens.
4. Under the fourth scheme, Siemens in 2002 and 2003 entered into a sham agreement with a Dubai-based business consultant to supply Metro Maracaibo with approximately $2.6 million in workshop equipment. The equipment was actually supplied by another supplier, and the business consultant did not supply any goods under the contract. After the business consultant came under suspicion as a result of its involvement in the investigation of possible bribes paid to ENEL managers in Italy, the CFO of Siemens' Turnkey Division's successor was ordered to terminate the contract. Instead, the new CFO arranged the assignment of the contract to another Dubai-based business consultant that continued the sham workshop equipment arrangement.
1. Under the first scheme, Siemens maintained a numbered, off-books bank account in Panama and either maintained a similar account in Miami or had contacts to a banker in Miami who had access to such accounts. These accounts were controlled by two CEOs and two CFOs of Siemens' regional subsidiary in Venezuela. One of the regional CFOs estimated that between 2001 and 2003 he paid $5 to $6 million per year out of the accounts, a portion of which went to government officials in support of the Venezuelan projects. The regional CFO periodically destroyed the account statements.
2. Under the second scheme, Siemens paid over $6.8 million to four U.S.- based entities controlled by a longtime Siemens business consultant. Siemens called upon the consultant, known as a political "fixer" in Venezuela and who had been an advisor to former Venezuelan presidents, to ensure political support for the Maracaibo and Valencia projects and for Siemens' role in them. Siemens made payments into the U.S. bank accounts of the four controlled entities pursuant to sham consulting agreements in return for no legitimate work. Bank records reveal payments to Venezuelan government officials and politically-connected individuals, including a high-ranking member of the central government, two prominent Venezuelan attorneys acting on behalf of government officials, a former Venezuelan defense minister and diplomat, and a relative of a local politician, all of whom had influence over these and other Siemens contracts in Venezuela. Siemens transferred an additional $4.9 million to one of the controlled entities between 2006 and 2007 by artificially inflating the terms of a contract with a U.S. engineering firm.
3. Under the third scheme, Siemens used a Cyprus-based business consultant as an intermediary to fund up to $2.5 million in bribe payments on the Valencia project. Sham agreements were entered into with the business consultant that purported to be for other Siemens projects, but were actually designed to transfer money to Valencia. This payment scheme was authorized by a former CFO of the Turnkey Division within the TS group at Siemens.
4. Under the fourth scheme, Siemens in 2002 and 2003 entered into a sham agreement with a Dubai-based business consultant to supply Metro Maracaibo with approximately $2.6 million in workshop equipment. The equipment was actually supplied by another supplier, and the business consultant did not supply any goods under the contract. After the business consultant came under suspicion as a result of its involvement in the investigation of possible bribes paid to ENEL managers in Italy, the CFO of Siemens' Turnkey Division's successor was ordered to terminate the contract. Instead, the new CFO arranged the assignment of the contract to another Dubai-based business consultant that continued the sham workshop equipment arrangement.
Quelle: U.S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Litigation Release No. 20829 / December 15, 2008
Accounting and Auditing Enforcement Release No. 2911 / December 15, 2008
Securities and Exchange Commission v. Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Civil Action No. 08 CV 02167 (D.D.C.)
Litigation Release No. 20829 / December 15, 2008
Accounting and Auditing Enforcement Release No. 2911 / December 15, 2008
Securities and Exchange Commission v. Siemens Aktiengesellschaft, Civil Action No. 08 CV 02167 (D.D.C.)
3 Kommentare:
Super, was die Imperialisten da für Unstimmigkeiten im immer noch halbkapitalistischen Venezuela aufgedeckt haben. Ob diese Aufdeckung der Opposition helfen wird? Wohl eher nicht, denn die Korruption in Venezuela ist ein typisches Merkmal der Langlebigkeit des Kapitalismus.
Pseudoanarchisten, die Links zu Seiten wie "Achse des Guten" (Selbstbezeichnung kapitalistischer, widerstandstötender Chauvinisten) und "Venezuela News and Views" (billiger Konter) auf ihrem Blog führen, sind selbst korrupt und geschmiert und müssen dementsprechend nicht ernst genommen werden.
Korrupt und geschmiert? Ach, schön wärs ;-)
Umso peinlicher; Wenn Sie nicht einmal Geld erhalten für Ihren kapitalistischen (antianarchistischen) Antikommunismus, dann warten Sie offenbar noch darauf. Schön wärs, sagen Sie.
Wer den Anarchismus derart in den Dreck zieht, dass er sich mit den übelsten Umweltzerstörungsverteidigern und den ideologischen Paramilitärs des WEF gegen Venezuelas Staatssozialismus verbündet, ist weder Anarchist noch Kommunist, sondern ein ganz gewöhnlicher kapitalistischer Staatsschutzbulle.
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