Russian law-enforcement authorities raided the offices of Hewlett-Packard in Moscow to probe into allegations that its executives paid millions of U.S. dollars to win a government contract, a U.S. business paper reported on Thursday.
The raid on the U.S.-based company occurred on Wednesday
The probe is part of an investigation being carried out by German prosecutors who are looking into allegations that HP executives paid about $10.9 million in bribes approximately seven years ago to win a multi-million dollar contract, The Wall Street Journal said.
According to the paper, the company sold computer equipment through a German subsidiary to the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation. The Russian Prosecutor General's Office handles criminal prosecutions in Russia, including many corruption cases, the paper said.
A Hewlett-Packard representative told RIA Novosti on Wednesday that the company's employees were "providing assistance to the authorities."
According to the IDC market research company, HP is the leading company for printing equipment in Russia with 38% of the market, far ahead its rivals Canon (23%) and Samsung (15%).
MOSCOW, April 15 (RIA Novosti)
