Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency Is investigating the involvement of government officials in alleged bribes paid by Daimler and a local vehicle assembly company.
Faridi Waziri, head of Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said the agency is probing US$15m of alleged bribes involving Daimler and Anammco, a Nigerian company that assembles Mercedes trucks and buses.
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She said in a statement: “We opened investigations into Daimler/Anammco recently following a judgment in the US where some Nigerians were convicted in relation to a Daimler bribery investigation.
“So far, we have interviewed about four officials and representatives of Daimler and Anammco in Nigeria.” Waziri added that the country’s attorney general had been asked to obtain a full copy of the US judgment.
Anammco was set up in the 1970s as a joint venture between Daimler, the Nigerian government and local investors. Daimler sold its stake in 2007 in line with its policy not to invest in companies that are partly government-owned, according to the Anammco website.
Waziri said the Daimler probe showed Nigeria – regularly ranked as one of the most corrupt countries in the world – was serious about cracking down on cases “with international dimensions”.
The EFCC has also been investigating the involvement of prominent Nigerians in a corruption case involving Siemens.
Reuters noted that in April Daimler paid US$185m to settle allegations that it had violated US anti-bribery laws by giving foreign government officials money and gifts to win contracts.
