Saturday, April 21, 2012

A widespread campaign of bribery orchestrated by Wal-Mart of Mexico has been reported on by the New York Times today. Wal-Mart sent investigators to Mexico following a tip off from a former Wal-Mart of Mexico executive. The former executive sent names dates and bribe amounts in a email to a Wal-Mart lawyer in September 2005. This executive had in fact been the lawyer in charge of obtaining the construction permits for Wal-Mart of Mexico. Wal-Mart's investigators were able to verify the whistle blower's claims in just days. They uncovered a paper trail involving bribes totaling more than $24 Million. They also became aware that Wal-Mart of Mexico had taken steps to conceal the illicit dealings from US headquarters. Wal-Mart's lead investigator, a former FBI agent reported that it was very likely that both US and Mexican laws had been broken, and went on to recommend that the investigation be expanded. Instead, Wal-Mart's top management shut it down. A great disparity between Wal-Mart's claims of a commitment to high moral and ethical standards, and actions taken in their quest for global domination has been revealed once again. Can such a massive corporate entity exist as a benevolent entity?