The fall-out from allegations that Wal-Mart bribed officials in Mexico began in earnest on Monday, with the company’s stock suffering, observers raising the prospect of large fines and even jail time, and lawmakers in Washington announcing the launch of a Congressional investigation into the activities of the world’s largest retailer.In an extensive article published Saturday, The New York Times reported that “bribery played a persistent and significant role in Wal-Mart’s rapid growth in Mexico,” where subsidiary Wal-Mart de Mexico is now the country’s largest private employer, with a workforce of 209,000 people. Futhermore, the article showed that Wal-Mart executives shut down an internal investigation into the matter several years ago, even after the company’s own lead investigator stated in a report in late 2005 that “[t]here is reasonable suspicion to believe that Mexican and USA laws have been violated.”
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://talkingpointsmemo.com/?p=99484