葛兰素史克承认在中国行贿历史丑闻

GlaxoSmithKline faces further scrutiny from US prosecutors after it emerged that staff were caught bribing Chinese officials more than a decade ago.

葛兰素史克(GSK)员工10多年前就曾被抓到贿赂中国官员，消息传出后，该公司再次被美国检方置于放大镜下。

The news comes as US and UK authorities investigate allegations that GSK employees bribed doctors and officials more recently to boost drug sales in China.

美国和英国当局正在调查有关GSK近年为促进药品销售在中国贿赂医生和官员的指控。

The Financial Times has learnt that GSK uncovered problems with its China vaccine business in 2001 that led to the firing of about 30 employees.

英国《金融时报》得知，GSK在2001年就曾发现中国疫苗业务存在腐败问题，并因此开除了约30名员工。

The US Department of Justice, which is investigating the current allegations, will take a close look at the earlier scandal, according to a former senior DoJ official who wished to remain anonymous.

一名希望匿名的美国司法部(DoJ)前高级官员表示，正在对目前的指控展开调查的美国司法部，将密切关注早前的丑闻。

If prosecutors find a pattern of such behaviour, they are likely to take a tougher stance toward the company, legal experts said.

法律专业人士表示，如果检方发现存在一种行为模式，他们很可能对GSK采取更严厉立场。

GSK has been under scrutiny since Chinese authorities accused it of paying up to $500m in bribes. The DoJ is looking at the case as part of a broad probe into drugmakers under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

自中国当局指控GSK行贿至多5亿美元以来，GSK一直被置于放大镜下。美国司法部正在调查GSK案，这是它根据《反海外腐败法》(Foreign Corrupt Practices Act)对制药企业展开的调查的一部分。

Two people familiar with the 2001 scandal said GSK found that staff had been bribing Chinese officials and taking kickbacks. The company acknowledged the matter for the first time to the FT but said it had dealt with the issue rigorously.

2001年那次丑闻的两名知情人士表示，GSK当时发现自己的员工贿赂中国官员并收受回扣。GSK首次向英国《金融时报》承认了此事，但表示它已对那件事做出了严肃处理。

Timothy Blakely, a partner at US law firm Morrison & Foerster, said US prosecutors would have to examine the 2001 case under justice department guidelines to see whether there was a pattern of behaviour.

美国美富律师事务所(Morrison Foerster)合伙人蒂莫西•布莱克利(Timothy Blakely)表示，美国检方必须按照司法部的指导原则调查2001年的案件，以确定是否存在一种行为模式。

“It is something that a prosecutor would have to take into account,” said Mr Blakely.

布莱克利表示：“这是检方必须考虑的一个因素。”

GSK asked PwC to investigate the case at the time the corruption suspicions emerged. “These matters occurred over 12 years ago. We believe appropriate investigation and action was taken at the time,” it said.

当年腐败怀疑浮出水面时，GSK曾委托普华永道(PwC)进行调查。GSK表示：“这些事情发生在12年前。我们相信当时我们进行了适当的调查，采取了适当的行动。”

One member of the PwC team in 2001 was Peter Humphrey. Now an independent investigator, he is being held in China on charges of illegally buying private information in connection with GSK’s current scandal.

2001年承接GSK调查工作的普华永道团队中就有韩飞龙(Peter Humphrey)。后来成为独立调查员的他眼下在中国被拘留，面对非法购买与GSK近期丑闻有关的私人信息的刑事指控。

The rapid move to hire PwC in 2001 contrasts with its response to the latest scandal. After a whistleblower made allegations against the company last year, GSK first relied on an internal probe with external legal and auditor support.

2001年，GSK迅速聘请了普华永道进行调查，这与它对最近这场丑闻的反应形成了鲜明对比。在去年举报者提出指控之后，GSK最初依赖于内部调查，辅之以外部法律和审计支持。

That inquiry found no evidence of systemic corruption, although some staff were dismissed for expenses irregularities. GSK has since hired Ropes & Gray, a US law firm, to conduct an external inquiry.

尽管有一些员工因报销违规被解雇，但那次内部调查的结论是，并无证据显示GSK存在系统化的腐败。在那之后，GSK聘请了美国Ropes & Gray律师事务所进行外部调查。

In May, Chinese police said they had evidence of “massive and systemic bribery”.

今年5月，中国警方表示他们掌握存在“大规模、系统性的贿赂行为”的证据。

“We have zero tolerance for unethical behaviour,” GSK said. “We investigate any allegations put to us and take action where necessary.”

GSK表示：“我们对不道德行为采取零容忍。我们调查向我们提出的任何指控，并在必要情况下采取行动。”

At the time of the 2001 incident, Sir Andrew Witty, GSK chief executive, was the company’s head of Asia-Pacific but his responsibilities excluded China. GSK has declined to say whether Sir Andrew was aware of the 2001 scandal.

2001年那次事件发生时，GSK现首席执行官安伟杰爵士(Sir Andrew Witty)是GSK亚太区总裁，但他当时不负责中国业务。GSK拒绝澄清安伟杰是否知道2001年的丑闻。

He has tried to cast GSK as a leader in ethical reforms since it was hit with a record $3bn DoJ fine for marketing abuses in 2012. However, the clean-up effort has been overshadowed by the latest scandal in China.

自美国司法部在2012年因市场推广违规开出30亿美元的天价罚单以来，安伟杰试图将GSK塑造为道德改革的领头羊。然而，最近发生在中国的丑闻给GSK的自洁努力蒙上阴影。