NEW DELHI: Amazon India has been hit by a bribery scandal after a whistle-blower complaint has led to an internal probe into the e-commerce giant’s legal representatives, who allegedly bribed Indian government officials.
When contacted, Amazon officials refused to give specific details about the complaints. It also did not say if the legal representatives alleged to have been involved in the bribing controversy were employees of the e-commerce firm or belonged to a third-party law firm. Any complaints against corruption or wrong individual behaviour are always investigated deeply, an Amazon official told this newspaper.
In a statement, the company said it has zero tolerance for corruption. “We take allegations of improper actions seriously, investigate them fully, and take appropriate action,” it said. While Amazon did not divulge the name of the accused, media reports said the e-commerce major has sent its senior corporate counsel Rahul Sundaram on leave in connection with the matter.
Amazon has been facing many litigation and regulatory issues in the country. It has been litigating against Future Retail against its decision to sell its entire retail business to Reliance Retail. The company has been also facing Enforcement Directorate and Competition Commission of India investigations for violating foreign direct investment and competition laws.Meanwhile, the Confederation of All India Traders has demanded a CBI probe.