Munich prosecutors have found that German steel company Ferrostaal paid out bribes to certain “decision makers” in Egypt, Greece, Argentina, Portugal, Colombia and Indonesia, according to German newspaper Sueddeuthsche Zeitung.
Bribes were paid in the form of “consultation fees” for industrial projects related to shipyard, factory and submarine construction. Prosecutors also say that “fees” were paid for military projects involving high-ranking German politicians and clergymen, including a government official, an archbishop and a former intelligence agent.
In March, authorities raided the company’s offices in the German city of Essen, after which 12 employees were charged with corruption. Those charged included Ferrostaal Chairman Matthias Mitscherlich, who was subsequently dismissed in May.
A first, Mitscherlich–son of prominent German psychologists Alexander and Margarete Mitscherlich–denied the charges. Later, however, he admitted having paid certain “fees” to officials, which he said had been intended to compensate “people who advised us where to go and who to talk to.”
The new company chairman, Jan Secher, has promised to open a thorough internal investigation into all allegations.
Translated from the Arabic Edition.
