Johannesburg - A French engineering company with links to
the South African energy industry has been fined by the World Bank for paying
bribes in Africa, it was reported on Friday.
The Mail and Guardian said the Alstom Corporation was fined
$9.5m by the bank, and two of its subsidiaries were blacklisted for bribing a
senior Zambian government official.
The World Bank probe into the bribe payments was led by
former Scorpions boss Leonard McCarthy.
According to the newspaper, this is not the first time the
company has been bust for paying bribes. Last year, it was fined by Swiss
authorities for paying bribes in Latvia, Malaysia and Tunisia.
An Alstom subsidiary provided services for the Koeberg
nuclear power plant, and is likely to play a role in the development of new
nuclear plants in the country.
The investigation by the Mail and Guardian found that Alstom
won the multi-billion rand turbine contracts for new coal power stations in
Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
Alstom companies are expected to tender for work on six new
power stations in South Africa.
A spokesperson for Alstom declined to comment to the Mail
and Guardian.