SAP to pay $222m to settle US bribery charges
Image: ANDREW KELLY
SAP, the German software company, agreed to pay about $222m (R4.14bn) to resolve two investigations into bribery schemes in seven countries, US authorities said on Wednesday.
The US department of justice said SAP has entered a three-year deferred prosecution agreement to resolve criminal charges that it conspired to bribe government officials in Indonesia and South Africa to win business.
SAP also reached a related civil settlement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to address similar alleged bribery schemes in Azerbaijan, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi and Tanzania, as well as Indonesia and South Africa.
The company “has accepted responsibility for corrupt practices that hurt honest businesses engaging in global commerce,” US Attorney Jessica Aber in the Eastern District of Virginia said in a statement.
SAP did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Its payout includes a $118.8m (R2.22bn) criminal fine and $103.4m (R1.93bn) of forfeiture, the justice department said.