Daimler names anti-corruption director

FRANKFURT: German auto maker Daimler, which has pleaded guilty to US bribery charges, on Tuesday announced the creation of a director's position responsible for ensuring respect for the law.

The new member of the board, who will be recruited from outside the company, will "manage all legal activities" as well as issues of business ethics, Daimler said in a statement.

Daimler, maker of the Mercedes Benz, recalled that it has already taken several steps to combat corruption, notably making it possible for any employee to report alleged wrongdoing.

The company last April agreed to pay 185 million dollars to settle US charges following a Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) investigation into Daimler's worldwide sales practices.

Daimler admitted to making hundreds of improper payments worth tens of millions of dollars to foreign government officials in at least 22 countries between 1998 and 2008, according to a prosecution agreement filed in a Washington court.

The kickbacks of cash and gifts of luxury armored cars, golf clubs and vacations helped secure government contracts worth millions of dollars in China, Russia, Thailand, Greece, Iraq and other countries, according to the charges.