The multinational Herbalife Nutrition will pay 123 million dollars to close a criminal investigation against it in the United States for bribing officials of government agencies and the media in China to boost its business in that country.
The dietary supplement company signed an agreement to resolve the lawsuit for violating the Federal Law on Corrupt Practices Abroad, according to the Manhattan Prosecutor's Office, New York, and will pay a criminal fine of almost 56 million dollars and another civil of about 67 million dollars.
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Judicial authorities were investigating Herbalife's involvement in a more than a decade-long scheme to bribe Chinese officials with cash, entertainment, meals and travel in order to obtain direct selling licenses, to reduce scrutiny from the government and the media. state communication.
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Feb. 21, 2020The Manhattan Prosecutor's Office assured that the investigated events extended from 2007 to 2016 in China, which represented 19% of the company's net sales of $ 4.49 billion in 2016, compared to 7% in 2006, according to regulatory documents. .
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Last November, US prosecutors criminally charged Yanliang Li, the former head of Herbalife's Chinese unit, and Hongwei Yang, who headed its foreign affairs department, of corruption.
Both are Chinese citizens and remain fugitives from justice.
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On the same case, Herbalife agreed to pay $ 20 million in May to settle civil charges from the United States Securities and Exchange Commission that it misled investors about its business in China.
With information from Reuters and Bloomberg
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