Report: Congressmen say Wal-Mart CEO was aware of Mexico bribery

New York -- According to multiple reports on Thursday, congressmen Henry Waxman (D-Rep., Calif.) and Elijah Cummings (D-Rep. Md.) have said that Wal-Mart Stores CEO Mike Duke and other senior-level officials at the retailer were informed about allegations of bribery in the retailer’s operations in Mexico in 2005.



The two congressmen cited documentation obtained by their staffs, which discussed allegations of corruption regarding a store in Teotihuacan.



However, a Wal-Mart spokesman said the information was nothing new. “This information has been part of the company’s ongoing investigation of potential violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act for more than a year and has been the subject of two New York Times articles,” said spokesperson Brooke Buchanan in an e-mailed statement to wire services.



Wal-Mart is investigating allegations that executives in Mexico paid more than $24 million in bribes to speed the retailer’s expansion there.