Sai mais uma comissão de inquérito???? Talvez valesse a pena.

Embora ao arrepio do meu desejo muitas vezes manifestado em não postar em línguas bárbaras, abro uma excepcção. Vale a pena... será que sai mais uma comissão de inquérito para a mesa do canto???


Spiegel Online:

‘Corruption Investigation: Germany's Ferrostaal Suspected of Organizing Bribes for Other Firms

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The current internal corruption scandal at Ferrostaal revolves around the delivery of two Type 209 submarines to Portugal. Ferrostaal, which had bid against submarine builder HDW and shipbuilder Thyssen Nordseewerke, won the €880 million contract in November 2003 -- with the help of bribes and a number of phony consulting contracts.

According to the investigators' files, a Portuguese honorary consul approached one of the Ferrostaal board members in 1999. The man allegedly said that he could be helpful in the initiation of the submarine deal. According to the files, the honorary diplomat demonstrated his influence by setting up a direct meeting in the summer of 2002 with then Prime Minister José Manuel Barroso.

The Ferrostaal executives in Essen were apparently so impressed that they signed a consulting agreement with the honorary consul in January 2003, in return for his "constructive assistance." Under the agreement, the Portuguese diplomat was to be paid 0.3 percent of the total contract volume if the deal went through.

The consul ended up collecting roughly €1.6 million, which the investigators see as a clear violation of his duties as a diplomat.

But it appears that Ferrostaal did not rely solely on its advisor's good connections to bring about the submarine deal. It is believed that a consulting agreement was concluded between Ferrostaal and a partner, on the one hand, and a rear admiral in the Portuguese navy, on the other. The deal, most recently, was worth €1 million.

A Portuguese law firm is also believed to have played a role in ensuring that that the contract was awarded to Ferrostaal, and that plenty of bribe money was paid in return.

Prosecutors have already identified more than a dozen suspicious brokerage and consulting agreements related to the submarine deal. According to the investigation files, all of these agreements were designed "to obfuscate the money trails," so as to pass on payments "to decision-makers in the Portuguese government, ministries or navy."

It appears that, in the end, Ferrostaal paid so many consulting fees that not much was left in the form of profits from the submarine deal.’
posted by Miguel Abrantes

It appears that, in the end, Ferrostaal paid so many consulting fees that not much was left in the form of profits from the submarine deal.’

Empresa alemã dos submarinos reconhece buscas

Ferrostaal diz que "determinados indivíduos" na empresa são alvo de suspeitas.

Luisa Meireles (www.expresso.pt)

A empresa alemã que constrói os submarinos para Portugal reconheceu hoje que foi alvo de buscas por parte do Ministério Público alemão relativamente a "acusações de suborno em alguns projectos específicos", mas rejeita que o alvo da suspeita seja a empresa, mas sim "determinados indivíduos".

Segundo uma informação prestada por escrito pelo responsável pelas Relações Públicas da Ferrostaal AG, Hubert Kogel, "o Ministério Público Munique I emitiu um mandato de busca e apreensão nas instalações da Ferrostaal AG em Essen e Geisenheim no âmbito de um processo de investigação criminal em relação a determinados indivíduos".

O comunicado adianta que "o alvo da suspeita não é a empresa" e que esta foi informada "de que se trata de acusações de suborno em alguns projectos específicos".

"A Ferrostaal irá colaborar estreitamente com o Ministério Público para acelerar o apuramento dos factos. Até isso se verificar, a empresa não prestará qualquer declaração sobre o assunto", conclui o texto do comunicado.

O Expresso tentou ainda contactar o gabinete de Durão Barroso - que, segundo a versal inglesa do texto da revista "Der Spiegel" terá tido um encontro com responsáveis da Ferrostaal enquanto primeiro-ministro - mas este não estava disponível para nenhum comentário.