高通因不當聘用中國官員親屬受罰

Qualcomm has reached a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission over allegations that it improperly hired the relatives of Chinese officials as it sought to do more business in the country that is its biggest market.

高通(Qualcomm)就不當聘用指控與美國證交會(SEC)達成和解，和解金爲750萬美元。高通被指不當聘用中國官員親屬，以求在中國這個它最大的市場獲得更多業務。

The settlement describes the company improperly paying for lavish junkets, golf outings, luxury gifts and airline tickets for the children of government officials.

和解協議稱，高通不恰當地爲中國政府官員子女的奢華旅行、高爾夫活動、高檔禮品以及機票買單。

The $7.5m settlement covers the decade until 2012 and painted a picture of a company that was trying hard to woo Chinese officials amid an uncertain regulatory environment. Qualcomm did not admit or deny wrongdoing.

這項和解涵蓋的是直至2012年的十年裏發生的事情，和解協議還描繪了高通在不確定的監管環境中努力討好中國官員的情形。高通未承認也未否認自己有不當行爲。

Qualcomm relies on China for around half its revenues, and during the last several years its business there has faced setbacks. Qualcomm says Chinese customers underpaid on their royalty agreements in 2014 and 2015, hurting its revenues. Last year Qualcomm settled an antitrust investigation in China, agreeing to a fine of around $1bn.

高通一半左右的收入仰仗中國，過去幾年間其中國業務屢受挫折。高通表示，由於2014年和2015年中國客戶未足額支付專利費，其收入受到拖累。去年，高通在中國了結了一項反壟斷調查，同意支付約10億美元罰款。

The practice of hiring interns who are related to Chinese officials is not uncommon among western firms as they seek to navigate China’s challenging regulatory environment. A string of SEC investigations has been focused on companies where this practice was common, including JPMorgan, whose “sons and daughters” programme helped place officials’ relatives at the company.

在西方企業當中，聘用中國官員親屬作實習生的做法並不罕見，因爲它們試圖以此來在中國富有挑戰的監管環境中獲得順利發展。美國證交會對那些普遍存在此類做法的公司發起了一系列調查，其中包括摩根大通(JPMorgan)，其“子女”計劃幫助多名官員親屬進入該公司任職。

Last month, HSBC said it was under investigation by the SEC over its hiring of people linked to Asian governments.

上個月，匯豐(HSBC)表示，它正就聘用與亞洲政府有關係的人員接受美國證交會的調查。

The SEC settlement reveals an unusual level of detail about Qualcomm’s involvement with officials and their offspring. In one case, the company paid $75,000 for an academic research grant to help the son of an official complete his PhD programme; later a Qualcomm executive personally lent $70,000 to that same individual to help him buy a house. This individual was also hired by Qualcomm, despite the fact that people who interviewed him said “he would be a drain on teams he would join”.

美國證交會與高通的和解協議對高通與中國官員及其子女交往情況的披露異乎尋常的詳細。比如，高通曾支付一筆7.5萬美元的學術研究經費，以幫助一名官員的兒子完成他的博士項目；一名高通高管隨後又以個人名義借給他7萬美元，幫他購買房子。高通後來還聘用了他，無視面試人員所作的“他會拖累所在團隊”的評價。

In another example, Qualcomm offered officials a deluxe Olympics hospitality package with a value of $95,000, although the company later rescinded these invitations due to concerns about violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

另一個例子是，高通向中國官員提供了價值9.5萬美元的豪華奧運招待禮包，儘管該公司後來因擔心違反美國《反海外腐敗法》(Foreign Corrupt Practices Act)撤回了這些邀請。

Don Rosenberg, Qualcomm general counsel, said: “We remain committed to ethical conduct and compliance with all laws and regulations, and will continue to be vigilant about [Foreign Corrupt Practices Act] compliance.”

高通總法律顧問唐•羅森堡(Don Rosenberg)表示：“我們仍致力於道德操守和遵守一切法律法規，並將繼續留意合規（指遵守《反海外腐敗法》）問題。”