Skip to content
  • (413) 834-4284
  • [email protected]
  • 21 Grinnell St, Greenfield, Massachusetts
Search
Close
Sprawl-busters
  • Home
  • About
  • Resources
    • Links
    • Books
    • Movies
    • Home Towns, Not Home Depot
    • The Case Against Sprawl
  • Victories
  • Blog
    • Share Your Battle
  • Contact
Menu
  • Home
  • About
  • Resources
    • Links
    • Books
    • Movies
    • Home Towns, Not Home Depot
    • The Case Against Sprawl
  • Victories
  • Blog
    • Share Your Battle
  • Contact
  • Uncategorized

Wal-Mart Discloses “Nada” In Mexigate Bribery Probe

  • Al Norman
  • August 17, 2012
  • No Comments

Nearly four months after the Wal-Mart Mexican bribery case landed on the retailer’s plate like a PR hot tamale, two leading members of U.S. Congressional oversight committees say the company has given them absolutely nada. Even worse, lawmakers now charge that Wal-Mart’s own documents suggest that the company may have been involved in tax evasion and money laundering as well as bribery.

In a sharply spiced letter sent August 14th to Wal-Mart CEO Mike Duke, Congressmen Henry Waxman and Elijah Cummings, the ranking House members on the Energy & Commerce and Oversight and Government Reform Committees respectively, told Duke “you have failed to provide the documents we requested, and you continue to deny us access to key witnesses. Your actions are preventing us from assessing the thoroughness of your internal investigation and from identifying potential remedial actions.”

Waxman and Cummings charge that the retailer’s potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act may stretch far beyond Mexico, and could be “global in nature.” Wal-Mart reportedly has been looking at its own anti-corruption practices in five other countries outside of Mexico.

On April 21st, shortly after the New York Times broke the bribery story, Wal-Mart issued a statement in English and Spanish saying that its Board of Directors had been conducting its own “extensive investigation” for months, using outside legal counsel and forensic accountants. The retailer claimed these experts were “reporting regularly” to the Board — yet Congressman Waxman and Cummings say they have seen nada.

“To date, however,” the lawmakers told Duke, “you have not produced a single document we have requested. You have refused to provide Committee staff with copies of any internal reports or specific information about the findings and recommendations of your worldwide assessment… you have not allowed us to speak to any Wal-Mart employees responsible for compliance with the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.”

At its Annual Meeting in Fayetteville, Arkansas last June, Board Chairman Rob Walton told shareholders, “Acting with integrity is not negotiable. You have my word. We will act the right way.” A few minutes later, Mike Duke asserted, “There’s no gray area between right and wrong. It’s either the right thing to do, or we shouldn’t do it.”

Apparently Wal-Mart has decided that talking to Congressional investigators is not the right thing to do.

Yet in their April 21st statement, Wal-Mart boasted: “We have met voluntarily with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to self-disclose the ongoing investigation on this matter.” The company promised to “continue to meet” with the DOJ and SEC “to report on the progress of the investigation.”

So where’s that “self-disclosure” now?

Waxman and Cummings have warned Wal-Mart that their August 14th letter is “a final opportunity to respond” to their requests before the lawmakers release their own investigative report and make public the documents they have obtained to date as part of their Congressional investigation.

Wal-Mart now has until August 28th to become transparent. For a company that says it has no gray areas, Wal-Mart remains a remarkably opaque company. Only a business with something to hide would stone-Wal Congress this way.

Readers are urged to email Wal-Mart Global Ethics Office at [email protected] with the following message:

“Dear Wal-Mart Ethics,

You have been given two weeks by Congressmen Cummings and Waxman to cooperate with their investigation of your company’s potential money laundering and tax evasion in connecting with bribery charges in as many as five or six countries.

Sam Walton warned: ‘Don’t compromise your integrity.’ It’s time to stop stone-WALing Congress, and cooperate fully with this investigation into wrong-doing. By not cooperating, you are hurting your shareholders, your workers, and your bottom line.”

Nearly four months after the Wal-Mart Mexican bribery case landed on the retailer’s plate like a PR hot tamale, two leading members of U.S. Congressional oversight committees say the company has given them absolutely nada.

Like this article?

Share on Facebook
Share on Twitter
Share on Linkdin
Share on Pinterest
Al Norman

Al Norman

Al Norman first achieved national attention in October of 1993 when he successfully stopped Wal-Mart from locating in his hometown of Greenfield, Massachusetts. Almost 3 decades later they is still not Wal-Mart in Greenfield. Norman has appeared on 60 Minutes, was featured in three films, wrote 3 books about Wal-Mart, and gained widespread media attention from the Wall Street Journal to Fortune magazine. Al has traveled throughout the U.S., Barbados, Puerto Rico, Ireland, and Japan, helping dozens of local coalitions fight off unwanted sprawl development. 60 Minutes called Al “the guru of the anti-Wal-Mart movement.”

Leave a comment

Find Us

  • 21 Grinnell St, Greenfield, MA
  • (413) 834-4284
  • [email protected]

Helpful Links

  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
Menu
  • Terms
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

Recent Posts

AMAZON COMPLAINS THAT WMT, TGT, COST & CVS ARE NOT SUBJECT TO FEDERAL ANTIT…

June 14, 2022

ON JUNE 28, THE TOWN OF DEERFIELD WILL “TAKE” THE 14 PROPERTIES LISTED BELOW FOR…

June 13, 2022

A FED JUDGE REJECTS NLRB CASE THAT HOME DEPOT EMPLOYEES SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO…

June 13, 2022

EVEN FOX NEWS VIEWERS DON’T TRUST DONALD TRUMP. They don’t trust FOX NEWS either…

June 12, 2022

13 DAYS AFTER AMAZON SAID IT HAD 30 M SF OF EXCESS WAREHOUSE LEASES, WMT ANNOUNC…

June 12, 2022

THIS GHOSTLY IMAGE WAS LEFT ONE BLOCK FROM MY HOUSE. At one time A&P was the mig…

June 11, 2022

AMAZON RETAIL SALES WILL SURPASS WALMART BY 2024. AMZN will control 15% of the U…

June 11, 2022

legislation.nysenate.gov

June 10, 2022

THE 32 Y.O. MAN WHO SHOT & KILLED A SHOPPER INSIDE AN OHIO WALMART IS BEING …

June 9, 2022

‘Cold-hearted, no compassion;’ gun debate looms after deadly Walmart shooting in Butler Co.

June 8, 2022

Recent Tweets

Al Norman 12 hours ago

HOME DEPOT’S NEW STORE PLANS IN MAPUNAPUNA, HAWAII FORCES TWO DOZEN SMALL BIZ—MOSTLY LOCAL RESTAURANTS —TO CLOSE. HD has other locations in Hawaii-but these family biz are one-of-a-kind. Watch:

Read More
Al Norman 1 day ago

CANADA’S LARGEST SUPERMARKET CHAIN HAS BEEN FIGHTING SINCE 2007 TO ELIMINATE SINGLE USE PLASTIC BAGS. Why has it taken Loblaws 15 years to say it will remove these bags sometime in 2023? Slow & steady loses the race.

Read More
Al Norman 2 days ago

THE PANDEMIC STIMULATED AMAZON TO DOUBLE ITS WAREHOUSE NETWORK IN 2 YEARS. Now sales are down & they are over-built. If it wasn’t for Web Services & ad sales, AMZN would be failing—just like Bezos predicted not too long ago. https://t.co/gGPcqwmrZU

Read More

Ⓒ 2020 - All Rights Are Reserved

Design and Development by Just Peachy Web Design

Download Our Free Guide

Download our Free Guide

Learn How To Stop Big Box Stores And Fulfillment Warehouses In Your Community

The strategies written here were produced by Sprawl-Busters in 2006 at the request of the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), mainly for citizen groups that were fighting Walmart. But the tips for fighting unwanted development apply to any project—whether its fighting Dollar General, an Amazon warehouse, or a Home Depot.

Big projects, or small, these BATTLEMART TIPS will help you better understand what you are up against, and how to win your battle.