[财经时事] 美国ZF撤回对16名涉嫌行贿高管的公诉 [推广有奖]

The US government has dropped a case brought against 16 executives accused of bribing overseas officials, in a setback for its efforts to step up enforcement of the foreign bribery act.

美国ZF撤回了对16名被指向外国官员行贿的高管提起的公诉，该国加大《反海外腐败法》(Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, FCPA)执行力度的努力遭遇挫折。

Citing mistrials and acquittals of three individuals, the Department of Justice filed a motion yesterday seeking to drop charges against the defendants.

美国司法部(DoJ)周二提出申请，要求撤回针对被告的控罪，理由是针对3人的审判无效以及这3人被判无罪。

The decision was an abrupt reversal on a case the DoJ had heralded as the “largest single investigation and prosecution against individuals in the history” of the foreign bribery act.

上述决定令案件的发展出现了180度的大转弯，美国司法部曾将此案称为在《反海外腐败法》的“历史上针对个人进行的最大规模调查和公诉。”

It comes as the DoJ faces pressure to charge bank executives and companies for wrongdoing tied to the financial crisis.

目前美国司法部正面临压力，要求其以涉及金融危机的不法行为为由，对相关银行高管和企业提起公诉。

The case began with a Federal Bureau of Investigation sting during which the defendants allegedly agreed to pay bribes to sales agents in order to win a $15m contract to provide the Gabon military with uniforms, grenades and other equipment.

此案始于美国联邦调查局(FBI)设下的一个圈套。在这个圈套中，被告据称同意向销售代表行贿，以获得为加蓬军方提供制服、手榴弹及其他装备的一笔1500万美元的合同。

In January 2010, the DoJ announced the arrests of 22 defendants for allegedly violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which makes it illegal to pay bribes to foreign officials to win business contracts.

2010年1月，美国司法部宣布逮捕22名涉嫌触犯《反海外腐败法》的被告。根据该法，为获得商业合同而向外国官员行贿属违法行为。

Three individuals have pleaded guilty over their role in the alleged Gabon scheme. A fourth person tied to the group also pleaded guilty.

其中3人对自己在被控的加蓬事件中扮演的角色认罪。另有一名相关人员也已认罪。

At the time, Lanny Breuer, chief of the DoJ’s criminal division, described the investigation as “the first large-scale use of undercover law enforcement techniques to uncover FCPA violations”.

当时，美国司法部刑事部门负责人兰尼•布厄尔(Lanny Breuer)将这一调查称为“首次大规模运用卧底执法手段来揭露触犯《反海外腐败法》的行为。”

Michael Madigan, a lawyer for one defendant, argued that the case was doomed from the start because several of the executives did not know that the payments were bribes.

其中一名被告的律师迈克尔•马迪根(Michael Madigan)宣称，此案从一开始就注定失败，因为多名高管并不知道相关付款属于贿赂。

译者/薛磊