Saturday 19 December 2009

Bahrain Aluminum Producer Files Suit Against Sojitz

Bahrain's state-owned aluminum producer, in a civil lawsuit, accused Japanese commodities-trading giant Sojitz Group of paying nearly $15 million in bribes over 13 years to gain discounts on aluminum prices.

The complaint filed by Aluminum Bahrain BSC, known as Alba, in U.S. District Court in Houston, says Sojitz paid "below-market" prices or received "handling fees" to defraud Alba. The complaint was filed on Friday.

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating allegations that Sojitz employees paid bribes, according to people familiar with the matter. The U.S. probe originated from information turned over by Bahraini authorities, who have been conducting their own probe into the allegations.

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