BizJet Settles Bribery Case for $11.8 Million

(CN) - BizJet, a Tulsa-based aircraft maintenance company, will pay $11.8 million to settle accusations that it bribed Mexican and Panamanian officials to get contracts, the Justice Department said.

BizJet International Sales and Support was charged in a one-count criminal information with violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. BizJet also agreed to a deferred prosecution deal.

Prosecutors say BizJet paid bribes to officials in Mexico's Federal Preventive Police, Mexico's Presidential Air Transport Service, the air fleet for the governments of Sonora and Sinaloa states, and the Panamanian Civil Air Authority.

"In many instances, BizJet paid the bribes directly to the foreign officials. In other instances, BizJet funneled the bribes through a shell company owned and operated by a BizJet sales manager," prosecutors said in a statement. "BizJet executives orchestrated, authorized and approved the unlawful payments."

Prosecutors agreed to defer prosecution of BizJet for 3 years and Bizjet agreed to cooperate in the investigation.

Lufthansa Technik AG, BizJet's indirect parent company, a German aircraft services firm, also entered into a deferred prosecution agreement for 3 years, prosecutors said.

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