CAIT demands CBI inquiry into Amazon bribery allegation

The investigation is being done following a whistleblower complaint alleging that money paid for legal fees was funneled into bribes by Amazon's legal representatives.

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has demanded a CBI inquiry following a report that Amazon's India lawyers bribed officials.

The development comes after a Morning Context report stated that Amazon Inc had initiated an investigation into the conduct of its legal representatives in India. The investigation is being done following a whistleblower complaint alleging that money paid for legal fees was funneled into bribes by Amazon's legal representatives.

CAIT is also moving a representation to Gary Gensler, Chairman, US Securities & Exchange Commission, Washington who heads the repository body of FCPA law of US, and the Corporate Governance Committee of Amazon Board demanding a fair and independent probe into this issue.

Besides this, in a letter to the Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, CAIT said that while the investigation goes on, the company should be directed to suspend their e-commerce portal.

Stating that the e-commerce firm had zero tolerance for corruption, an Amazon spokesperson on September 20 said, "We take allegations of improper actions seriously, investigate them fully, and take appropriate action. We are not commenting on specific allegations or the status of any investigation at this time."