Evidence Of Wal-Mart Bribery In Brazil Uncovered, U.S. Probers Say

Retailer Wal-Mart Stores Inc. might have committed bribery in Brazil, according to evidence discovered by U.S. investigators. Federal prosecutors are focusing their investigation on $500,000 in payments they claim were paid to an individual hired to secure government permits needed for the construction of two stores in Brasilia, the country’s capital, between 2009 and 2012. Previous investigations made by lawyers from the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission, and agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service did not reveal enough evidence of Wal-Mart committing acts of foreign bribery in Mexico and India.