Feds seek $3 million in Siemens bribe money

The U.S. government is trying to seize $3 million including bribe payments paid by Siemens to win contracts in Bangladesh.

Using laws that impose U.S. jurisdiction over money laundering that flows through U.S. financial institutions, the Department of Justice says it is seeking the money from accounts in Singapore. Most of the money involved was paid to the son of the former prime minister of Bangladesh.

The bribes were made in return for favorable consideration in the award of public works projects in Bangladesh, the Justice Department says. Siemens Bangladesh has admitted to funneling corrupt payments through business consultants to government officials in the country. In all, the Siemens subsidiary paid $5.3 million in illegal payments between 2001 and 2006.

Seeking the bribe money is a follow-up to admissions that Siemens made bribes to win contracts in three continents and was fined a total of $1.6 billion.

The accounts being sought by the U.S. Justice Department in Singapore were paid to Arafat "Koko" Rahman, the son of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.