'Zero Tolerance Towards Corruption': Govt To Investigate Amazon Bribery Charge

Amazon had previously announced that it will probe some of its employees who have allegedly bribed Indian officials.

Amid allegations of Indian officials being bribed by legal representatives of online retailer Amazon, the central government on Tuesday, 21 September, said that it has a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption.

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Amid allegations of Indian officials being bribed by legal representatives of online retailer Amazon, the central government on Tuesday, 21 September, said that it has a zero-tolerance policy towards corruption.

The government asserted that the allegations of bribery will be investigated, NDTV reported, citing officials.

Amazon, on Monday, had announced that it will probe some of its legal representatives who have allegedly bribed Indian government officials, a report by The Morning Context had stated, adding that the American giant's senior corporate panel has been sent on leave in this matter.

"Amazon has been spending more than ₹ 8,500 crore in legal fees. It's time to think where all it is going. The whole system seems to work on bribes and that is not the best of business practices," government officials were quoted as saying by NDTV.

The officials observed that the reports of corruption had not articulated when the offence had taken place or in which state.

'Will Take Appropriate Action': Amazon on Bribery Allegations

After reports of bribery allegations against Amazon's Indian legal representatives surfaced, the US e-commerce giant, on Monday, asserted that it takes allegations of improper conduct seriously and will take corrective action.

"We have zero tolerance for corruption. We take allegations of improper actions seriously, investigate them fully, and take appropriate action. We are not commenting on specific allegations or the status of any investigation at this time."

Amazon spokesperson, as quoted by PTI

Meanwhile, the trade panel, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), has urged for an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the matter.

The traders' body has further demanded that the names of the involved officials be made public and exemplary action be taken against them, PTI reported.

The development comes at a time when Amazon is under the radar of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for alleged anti-competitive practices, predatory pricing, and biased treatment of sellers.

(With inputs from NDTV and PTI)