英國對羅爾斯•羅伊斯的調查升級
The UK Treasury has given extra funding to the Serious Fraud Office to bolster its criminal investigation into alleged bribery by Rolls-Royce in Indonesia and China.
英國財政部(UK Treasury)向英國嚴重欺詐辦公室（Serious Fraud Office，簡稱SFO）提供了額外的資金，以支持後者對羅爾斯•羅伊斯（Rolls-Royce，簡稱“羅羅”）涉嫌在印尼和中國行賄一案展開刑事調查。The rare move, only the third such agreement in recent times, underscores both the probe’s scope and the pressure on the cash-strapped SFO to land a sizeable British scalp for overseas corruption. The Treasury has agreed to so-called blockbuster funding “in the low millions” of pounds for the SFO’s probe, according to people familiar with the arrangement.
近年來，英國財政部僅採取過兩次類似行動。這一罕見之舉不僅凸顯出該調查的規模之巨大，也凸顯出資金緊張的SFO面臨的壓力之大——該機構必須在抗擊海外腐敗方面取得重大勝利。知情人士稱，英國財政部已同意提供300萬英鎊左右的所謂重大融資，以支持SFO的調查。It follows similar deals struck by the SFO for its investigations into alleged Libor rigging, and into Barclays’ deals with Qatar during the bank’s 2008 emergency cash call.
SFO此前就兩起案件的調查與英國財政部達成過類似的協議，一起案件是多家銀行涉嫌操縱倫敦銀行間同業拆借利率(Libor)，另一起是巴克萊(Barclays)涉嫌在2008年現金告急期間與卡塔爾控股進行虛假交易。
The SFO last year managed to strike a deal whereby the agency – whose funding has been eroded from £52m in 2008 to £32m this fiscal year – could approach the Treasury for special funding if a probe was forecast to cost more than 5 per cent of the agency’s annual budget.
SFO去年與英國財政部達成了一項協議，約定如果預計一項調查的成本將超過SFO年度預算的5%，SFO就可以向英國財政部要求特別資助。SFO本財年的預算已被削減至3200萬英鎊，而2008年的這個數字爲5200萬英鎊。Blockbuster funding is controversial, however, because of the government approval required.
但這種“重大融資”安排存在爭議，因爲它需要政府批准。“Every time the director of the SFO wants to investigate a major case he has to go to George Osborne in secret with a begging bowl,” said Emily Thornberry, shadow attorney-general in the opposition Labour party, labelling the system “dysfunctional”.
英國反對黨工黨(Labour party)內的影子總檢察長埃米莉•索恩伯裏(Emily Thornberry)表示：“SFO主任每希望調查一個重大案件，就得私下裏去找喬治•奧斯本(George Osborne)討錢。”索恩伯裏稱，這個體系是一個“失靈”的體系。The secret funding could explain why the SFO made the surprise announcement before Christmas that it was accelerating its interest in Rolls-Royce to an official criminal probe. It had been previously satisfied with the company’s internal reports into alleged bribes through intermediaries in Asia, which were sparked by allegations made by a former employee.
這種祕密融資安排可以解釋爲何SFO在聖誕節之前突然宣佈，它打算將羅羅一案的調查正式升級爲刑事調查。在那之前，SFO一直滿足於讓該公司拿出內部調查報告。該調查的起因是，羅羅的一名前僱員指控稱，該公司在亞洲通過一些中介行賄。According to one widely-reported claim, in the early 1990s the aircraft-engine maker gave Tommy Suharto, son of Indonesia’s ex-president, a blue Rolls-Royce car and $20m in the hope they would help prompt Garuda, the country’s airline, to buy its Trent 700 engine.
根據一項被廣泛報道的指控，這家飛機發動機制造商在上世紀90年代初送了一輛藍色的勞斯萊斯(Rolls-Royce)汽車和2000萬元美金，給印尼前總統之子湯米•蘇哈托(Tommy Suharto)，希望他能幫忙讓印尼鷹航(Garuda)購買自己的Trent 700發動機。Mr Suharto wrote to the SFO in November to deny categorically all wrongdoing, adding that the accusations were false.
蘇哈托去年11月致函SFO，斷然否認一切指控，並稱這些指控系捏造。Another prompt could be the involvement of US authorities. The Department of Justice sent another request for information to Rolls-Royce last month, according to people familiar with the investigation.
另一個推動因素可能是美國當局的介入。根據此次調查知情人士的說法，美國司法部(DoJ)也向羅羅發出了獲取信息的要求。Allegations of bribery in both China and Indonesia are being scrutinised by both the SFO and DoJ, the people said.
這名知情人士表示，SFO和美國司法部都在仔細調查關於羅羅在中國和印尼行賄的指控。Relations between the DoJ and the SFO, while ostensibly co-operative, have been tested of late through competition over the same targets, such as in the Libor probe . The SFO and DoJ declined to comment.
儘管美國司法部和SFO表面上是合作關係，但實際上兩者間的關係最近在針對相同目標（比如Libor案）的競爭性調查中始終面臨考驗。SFO和美國司法部拒絕置評。Rolls-Royce referred to previous statements that it was co-operating with the SFO and did not tolerate any improper business conduct.
羅羅援引此前的聲明表示，該公司正在配合SFO的工作，不會容忍任何不當商業行爲。
