NEW YORK-Lucent Technologies Inc., which has barely recovered from lawsuits related to vendor financing and alleged fraud, now confronts an unlikely lawsuit from an unlikely place-bribery in Saudi Arabia.
A Saudi firm, National Group for Communications and Computers Ltd., has alleged in the lawsuit that Lucent and Swiss company ACEC paid more than $15 million in bribes between 1995 and 2002 to Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Post and Telegraph Ali Al-Johani.
The bribe, according to a suit filed Aug. 8, was intended to convince Saudi Telecommunications Co. to make business decisions in favor of Lucent.
Lucent has denied the allegations. “While we have not yet been served, we are familiar with the allegations,” according to Bill Price, Lucent spokesman. “We believe them to be without merit and will defend ourselves vigorously.”
According to the lawsuit, Lucent offered Al-Johani free use of a private jet, paid his medical expenses, covered the bills for his hotel stays in New York and Seattle with his family, and gave $2 million in gifts to a Seattle hospital at his behest.
National Group seeks triple damages under racketeering laws.
Saudi Telecommunications Co. is a monopoly wireless provider in the country.
