Bombardier says Russian worker charged with bribery doesn't reflect its values

Ross Marowits, The Canadian Press</span>
Published Friday, August 18, 2017 12:58PM EDT

MONTREAL -- Bombardier says the filing of formal criminal charges in Sweden on Friday against a railway employee doesn't reflect its values.

"We take these allegations very seriously as they assert conduct that does not reflect our values or the high standards we set for ourselves, our employees and our partners," the Montreal-based company (TSX:BBD.B) said in a statement.

Evgeny Pavlov was charged with aggravated bribery and faces up to six years in jail and deportation if found guilty.

Swedish prosecutor Thomas Forsberg says Pavlov bribed a public servant in Azerbaijan to win a 2013 contract to upgrade the rail signalling system with a contract value of around US$340 million.

Most of the funding for the project comes from the World Bank, which is conducting an audit on the project.

The Bombardier Transportation Sweden AB employee who is on paid leave was held in March in pre-trial custody to prevent him from fleeing or tampering with evidence.

Emails seized during a search of Bombardier's offices in Sweden in October 2016 are considered evidence in the case.

His lawyer, Cristina Berger, has previously said that her client says he is innocent.

A trial date has not been set yet.

Bombardier said it is reviewing the legal filings and supports a complete accounting of the facts and circumstances surrounding the project.

With files from The Associated Press

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