Beam Suntory to pay $19 million fine to resolve case for graft in India

Mumbai: Beam Suntory Inc, maker of Jim Beam whisky, has agreed to pay a $19.5 million penalty to resolve a US investigation into allegations that it bribed officials in India during 2006-12. Violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act included Chicago-based Beam’s scheme to pay a bribe in exchange for approval of a licence to bottle a line of products, said a US Department of Justice statement on October 27.

“Beam and its Indian subsidiary not only paid bribes, they intentionally failed to implement internal controls to prevent bribery and falsified books and records to conceal corrupt activity,” acting assistant attorney general Brian C Rabbitt of the US Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in the statement.