Bribe charges link Alstom to firms from Singapore, Hong Kong

Alstom is accused of paying bribes to Indian public officials to secure Delhi metro contracts

The two companies allegedly used by French company Alstom as a route to pay bribes to win signalling contract for the first two phases of the Delhi Metro rail system are registered in Singapore and Hong Kong.

One of the consultancy firms, called Indo European Ventures Pte Ltd, is registered in Singapore at 100, Sultan Plaza, Jalan Sultan, according to the government's website. Ownership details are not available but the website says the company has met the annual filing procedures. The company does not have an active website and no contact details could be had.  The other one, called Global King Technology Ltd, is registered in Hong Kong since March 2001. It is a private local company, according to a non-government company information aggregator online.

Neither has an Indian subsidiary, according to the website here of the ministry of corporate affairs. An email sent to E Sreedharan, who was managing director of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) when these controversial payments were alleged to have been made, was unanswered.

“Company rules provide for the strict respect of laws and regulations in force in all countries where the Group operates, with prevention of corruption measures as a priority concern, as well as compliance with competition, securities or accounting laws and regulations,”Alstom said, in an email response to Business Standard refraining to comment on the bribery allegations.

Britain’s Serious Fraud Office has been investigating Alstom for five years, as part of an international criminal inquiry into alleged corruption. It says Alstom appears to have disguised corruption payments as consultancy agreements. Alstom allegedly paid Rs 52 crore over six years to win transport contracts in India, Poland and Tunisia.

Alstom was awarded a Rs 255-crore signalling contract for the Delhi Metro. It also supplied equipment in line with Mitsubishi Electric Corp's design.

Other than Delhi Metro, the company has won contracts to provide rolling stock to the Chennai metro rail. And, secured a contract for design and construction of track work in viaducts, tunnels, underground and depots for corridors I & II of the Chennai metro, according to its own website. The money involved is Rs 2,430 crore. It also has a contract from the Bangalore metro for signalling systems, worth Rs 563 crore.  Alstom did not reply to an email sent by Business Standard. DMRC officials said there was no official communication on the issue and no internal inquiry was underway.  The French company is present in India since 1911 and has projects across the transport, power, energy and other sectors. It has been investigated in the past five years in France, Switzerland, Brazil and America. It was fined $43.8 million in 2011 by the Swiss Attorney General’s office for bribes paid in Latvia, Malaysia and Tunisia. The French inquiry was closed in 2009, according to a Bloomberg report.

Govt to seek details from London
The government of India on Thursday decided to seek details from the Indian High Commission in London on the charges of bribery against Alstom UK in winning infrastructure orders for the Delhi Metro project.

According to sources, the Indian High Commissioner in London will be asked to obtain facts and relevant details from UK serious fraud office regarding the reported kickbacks paid to DMRC for securing the infrastructure order.