Bloomberg
Swedish police detained a Bombardier Inc. employee on suspicion of bribery and questioned several others in connection with a rail contract in Azerbaijan.
Evgeny Pavlov, a Russian citizen whose LinkedIn profile lists him as a Bombardier sales executive, was remanded in custody, according to court documents. Pavlov is suspected of aggravated bribery, and several people at the company’s Swedish operation have been served a “notice of suspicion,†said Thomas Forsberg, prosecutor at the anti-corruption unit of the Swedish Prosecution Authority.
The detention occurred more than three years after a Bombardier-led consortium won an order from Azerbaijan Railways CJSC on the Kars-Baku corridor connecting Asia and Europe. That deal, which covered the design, manufacture, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of a double track line, was valued at $288 million. Bombardier, a Montreal-based maker of trains and planes, had a $203 million share.
“We can confirm that some Bombardier Transportation Sweden employees have been questioned by the Swedish police,†Claas Belling, a spokesman for Bombardier Transportation, said by email. “We will continue to cooperate fully with the Swedish authorities and will provide additional information when available and appropriate.â€
Bombardier is committed to “operating in full compliance with all legal rules and requirements and our own high ethical standards,†he said.