García Vicente (Vicente Garcia)

2015: SAP bribed the Panama officials

At the end of December, 2015 it became known that the former president of Panama Ricardo Martinelli participated in the corruption schemes which allowed to win against SAP state procurements for millions of dollars.

On December 16, 2015 the American court on the Northern District of California sentenced the former top manager of SAP Vicente Garcia to 22 months of imprisonment on a charge of bribery to the Panama officials by means of whom the German company concluded government contracts on delivery of the software. Bribery lasted from 2009 to 2013. The cost of one of the contracts received by SAP in such illegal way was $14.5 million.

Former president of Panama Ricardo Martinelli

In García's sentence it is offered to avoid contacts with any accomplices on case among which Ricardo Martinelli and 6 more people. This requirement is designated as a condition of its future release under supervision.

Official charges on case to which there is connected Garcia were not brought to the ex-president of Panama. According to the lawyer Ricardo Martinelli, his client never met Vicente García.

The sources of Reuters familiar with this case say that the issue of receiving rollbacks of Martinelli became a part of the investigation made by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The representative of SAP reported to news agency that the company dismissed Vicente Garcia in April, 2014 and actively cooperates with the investigation. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission made own investigation according to which Garcia "bypassed internal control systems of SAP" for payment of bribes at the expense of corporate assets, noted in the company.

In December, 2015 the Supreme Court of Panama issued the warrant for the arrest of Ricardo Martinelli. The former president of the country is accused that he allegedly illegally used the state money to spy on 150 famous people.^[1]

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