Uber probes bribery in Asia business amid US criminal probe
Lawyers focus on suspicious activity in at least five Asian countries: China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and South Korea
Uber Technologies Inc., facing a US federal probe into whether it broke laws against overseas bribery, has embarked on a review of its Asia operations and notified US officials about payments made by staff in Indonesia, people with knowledge of the matter said.
As the US Justice Department looked into a possible criminal case, Uber was working with law firm O’Melveny&Myers LLP to examine records of foreign payments and interview employees, raising questions about why some potentially problematic business dealings weren’t disclosed sooner, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the details were private.
Lawyers were focused on suspicious activity in at least five Asian countries: China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and South Korea. For instance, Uber’s law firm was reviewing a web of financial arrangements tied to the Malaysian government that may have influenced lawmakers there, the people said.
Uber said it was cooperating with investigators but declined to comment further. Wyn Hornbuckle, a Justice Department spokesman, declined to comment.
Late last year, Uber had a run-in with Indonesia police over the location of an office in Jakarta providing support to local drivers, people with knowledge of the events said.