French Company Alstom to pay $772m fine to settle bribery charges in US Monday Dec 22,2014

Alstom has agreed to pay $772m (£494m) in criminal penalties to settle bribery related charges with the US Department of Justice.

It is the largest ever US criminal fine for violations of foreign bribery laws.

The DOJ alleges the French engineering giant bribed government officials to win business in countries such as Indonesia and Egypt

The DOJ said Alstom paid more than $75m to secure $4bn in projects around the world.
The DOJ's deputy attorney general, James Cole, said he wanted the fine to serve as a warning to other firms

It called the scheme "astounding in its breadth, its brazenness and its worldwide consequences".