Alstom faces charges in UK over bribery allegations after a five-year investigation

Alstom, the French maker of trains and power equipment, will be charged in Britain over bribery allegations after a five-year investigation, according to two people with knowledge of the case.

The Serious Fraud Office may ask the attorney general to approve charges in the coming weeks, a standard requirement for the agency to prosecute some offenses, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the case is private. The company has been the subject of corruption investigations in the last five years spanning France, Switzerland, Brazil and the US.

The SFO said in 2011 it suspected that Alstom gave money to companies that acted as “bogus consultants” to bribe overseas officials for contracts from 2004 to 2010, according to court papers at the time. – ( Bloomberg )