German authorities are currently investigating coating manufacturer Hempel A/S to determine whether alleged bribes were made by employees to ship managers.
The company says it is cooperating fully with the authorities and is providing them with all information requested.
So far, Hempel has dismissed four employees who have left their positions effective immediately.
As a consequence of the authorities’ suspicion, Hempel has launched internal audits in Hempel Germany conducted by an independent external law firm in order to do its own investigation.
Henrik Andersen, Group CEO, Hempel A/S says: “Unfortunately, Hempel must acknowledge that contrary to expectations, practices that apparently do not comply with the German legislation have been identified. These are practices connected to the relationship between Hempel Germany, ship managers and shipowners. Hempel deeply regrets that in some instances, internal rules have been deliberately circumvented and German law might not have been followed.”
As we complete our investigations of the case, there may be further dismissals, he says.
Hempel’s position on any unlawful activity is very clear. “We do not tolerate and do not accept illegal practices. We consider the offences to be an attack on our customers, Hempel’s culture and values and with that an attack on our approx. 6,000 responsible and committed employees worldwide,” Andersen says.
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Source: Hempel
