Hewlett-Packard probe roils California U.S. Senate race

[IDemo]

SEC and others are investigating whether company executives paid bribes to win a lucrative foreign contract while under the leadership of GOP candidate Carly Fiorina.

April 20, 2010|By Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times

An international investigation of alleged misdeeds by Hewlett-Packard executives while the company was headed by Carly Fiorina is roiling the U.S. Senate race in California, where Fiorina is among the front-runners for the Republican nomination.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the U.S. Department of Justice, and German and Russian authorities are investigating whether executives with the company paid nearly $11 million in bribes to win a $47.5-million contract in 2003 to sell computers through a German subsidiary to Russian prosecutors, the Wall Street Journal reported last week. Such a move would violate the Foreign Corrupt Practice Act, which prohibits U.S. companies from bribing foreign officials.

The actions are alleged to have taken place while Fiorina was Hewlett-Packard's chief executive. Fiorina, who along with former Rep. Tom Campbell has been at the top of pre-primary polls, denied knowledge of wrongdoing.

"I had no knowledge of any of these allegations," she told Northern California radio station KQED-FM on Friday. "I certainly welcome, as I'm sure the company does, I welcome the government's investigation. I mean, these are serious allegations. I have a long track record of firing people who are engaged in illegal or unethical behavior. And certainly had this occurred and I had been aware of it, I would have done the same."

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/apr/20/local/la-me-0420-fiorina-20100420

[DontTreadOnMe]

1. If the allegations are true...

Would the CEO be:

A. incompetent for not knowing

- or -

B. criminally responsible


Carly, go ahead... pick one.

I am really tired of company executives passing the buck.

[customerserviceguy]

5. I'm going with "A", Bob

If she had an ounce of the planning ability it takes to even a partially successful criminal, she wouldn't have run everything she's ever touched into the ground in such a spectacular fashion.

[Selatius]

2. I hope this fucking destroys Carly Fiorina. We already have Sarah Palin to deal with.

Somebody would have to pay serious money to American authorities and authorities in Russia and Germany to get this buried.

[KharmaTrain]

3. First Rubio, Now This...

The chickens come home to roost. The excesses and arrogance of the "get rich at any cost" culture that is now risen to the "top" of the rushpublican party. The ugly truth may soon start coming out of how these scumbags really made their money and how they truly stole it or didn't earn it.

Fiorina was pushed out of HP and there are plenty of rumors why...including her extravagant lifestyle. Here's hoping these investigations dig deep and last all summer long...the GOOP once again will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

[catgirl]

4. And she was fired for incompetence

These things should come out AFTER is wins the repug primary, not before.