Siemens faces Brazilian lawsuit for price fixing in metro projects
The government of the state of Sao Paulo announced in a statement that Siemens had confessed to authorities in May of this year that it had participated in the cartel.
Gerald Alckmin, governor of the state of Sao Paulo, told local media that Siemens is accused of involvement with the cartel during a period stretching from 2001 to 2007, which is believed to have fixed prices for bids to build Sao Paulo's metro system.
Alckmin said in the official statement:
"The company was asked twice to collaborate with the investigation and twice it refused to do so. This is why we are taking legal action against the company to get total reimbursement."
Paulo Stark, the head of Siemens Brazil, however, confirmed the company was cooperating fully with an investigation launched by local authorities.
According to a report in the "Folha de Sao Paulo" newspaper, the other companies in collusion with Siemens were Canada's Bombardier, Spanish company CAF, France's Alstom as well as Japan's Mitsui.
In May, Siemens reported that company executives, from 1998-2008, were involved in the creation of cartels in São Paulo state projects. In early August, Siemens accused the São Paulo government of approving the formation of cartels.
Source: Local Press & SP government
