3M investigates Turkish bribery scandal

US technology company 3M has announced in a recent report that it discovered that its representative office in Turkey bribed state agencies and committed a number of procedural violations in some tenders; however, the company has not identified the institutions that accepted the bribes.



The allegations were included in the quarterly activity report filed by 3M to the US Department of Justice and the US Securities and Exchange Commission. 3M said it was still investigating the allegations and said it could not foresee what the consequences or the costs might be. 3M operates across 63 countries and has 80,000 employees. It is one of the largest companies in the world and it has been active in Turkey for nearly two decades. In 2009 its sales revenues topped $25 million. It offers a number of services and products to various municipalities and public agencies in Turkey in areas including electronics, security, transportation, health and technology. A 3M official who asked not to be named said in remarks translated into Turkish: "We can't provide detailed information on the subject. I do not know which years this current investigation covers. The investigation being conducted in the US by 3M is still underway. The necessary information will be released when the investigation has been completed." -CIHAN-