Justice Dept Seeks Halt to Civil Sojitz Suit - WSJ.com

The Justice Department asked a federal court to halt a civil lawsuit filed against Japanese commodities-trading giant Sojitz Group, citing the government's own criminal bribery probe.

The lawsuit was filed in December by Bahrain's state-owned aluminum producer, Aluminum Bahrain BSC, known as Alba. The lawsuit alleged Sojitz paid Alba employees nearly $15 million in bribes over 13 years to gain discounts on aluminum prices.

Justice Department lawyers, in a filing made in U.S. District Court in Houston, said the lawsuit should be stayed "pending resolution of a parallel criminal investigation and any resulting criminal prosecution against the defendants."