航空公司正在调查向政府官员提供免费机票和升舱服务是否违反美国海外反腐败法（FCPA）
Avianca Holdings SA is investigating whether it violated U.S. foreign bribery law by giving free tickets and upgrades to government officials.PHOTO: NICOLO FILIPPO ROSSO/BLOOMBERG NEWS
Latin American airline group Avianca Holdings SA is investigating whether it violated U.S. foreign bribery law by giving free tickets and upgrades to government officials.
Avianca Holdings, which is based in Panama, said in a securities filing that it notified the U.S. Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission about the probe and was cooperating with the agencies. It also notified Colombia’s financial superintendent through the country’s securities exchange, where the airline group also is listed.
The group said the travel benefits were given to officials by employees that may have included senior management, as well as certain members of its board.
A spokeswoman for Avianca Holdings said the company had implemented additional controls to avoid similar conduct in the future, including by strengthening its internal approval processes.
The probe could raise a somewhat novel issue under the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, which prohibits companies with ties to the U.S.—including those such as Avianca Holdings that are listed on a U.S. stock exchange—from bribing foreign government officials to gain a business advantage.
The Justice Department and SEC have reached settlements in the past with companies that provided free travel to foreign officials. The agencies also have settled with a foreign airlinethat bribed union officials to secure a favorable labor contract.
But the investigation into Avianca Holdings could be the first public instance of a company considering whether free and discounted tickets and upgrades offered by an airline could qualify as a bribe under U.S. foreign bribery law.
Dylan Tokar
（本文版权归道琼斯公司所有，未经许可不得翻译或转载。）
更多阅读：
道琼斯公司（Dow Jones）创建于1882年，旗下有道琼斯指数、Barron's《巴伦》、WSJ《华尔街日报》、MarketWatch、Factiva、VentureSource、Risk & Compliance等品牌。“道琼斯风险合规”是全球领先的风险合规服务商。本公众号由道琼斯风险合规中国团队运营。欢迎您关注或咨询：Johnson.Ma@dowjones.com