Washington: German carmaker Daimler pleaded guilty to US charges of bribery and agreed to pay $185 million (Dh680.43 million) to settle the affair, the US government said on Thursday.
The Justice Department said Daimler and three of its subsidiaries had resolved charges related to a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) investigation into the company's worldwide sales practices.
US District Court Judge Richard Leon approved the settlement at a hearing Thursday in Washington.
"Daimler AG's Russian subsidiary DaimlerChrysler Automotive Russia (DCAR), now known as Mercedes-Benz Russia, and its German subsidiary, Export and Trade Finance GmbH [ETF], each pleaded guilty to criminal informations charging the companies with one count of conspiracy to violate the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA and one count of violating those provisions," the Justice Department said in a statement.
As part of the plea agreements, DCAR and ETF agreed to pay criminal fines of $27.3 million and $29.12 million, respectively, part of the $93.6 million in criminal fines and penalties that Daimler and its subsidiaries paid in total.
Daimler earlier admitted to making improper payments to officials in at least 22 countries between 1998 and 2008, according to a deferred prosecution agreement.
The kickbacks helped secure government contracts in China, Russia, Thailand, Greece, Iraq and other countries.
In a separate, related civil case, Daimler agreed to pay $91.4 million to settle a case filed by markets regulator the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
