Corporations Are Bribing Foreign Government Officials

On the heels of news earlier this year that a subsidiary of Wal Mart was caught bribing government officials in Mexico in violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, another corporation has been caught doing the same thing. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has been charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission for making improper payments to government officials in China, Croatia, Kazakhstan, and a series of other nations in exchange for laxer regulations and quick formulary approvals. Like Wal Mart, Pfizer is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, which is currently lobbying to weaken the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and give transnational corporations free rein to bribe foreign governments for better business deals. Of course, thanks to Citizens United, corporations can already legally bribe government officials here in the United States.