Microsoft caught up in bribery probe over software sales in Hungary

Federal authorities in the U.S. are investigating an alleged bribery scheme involving software sales to the Hungarian government.

Microsoft is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice and Securities and Exchange Commission over potential bribery and corruption in its handling of software sales to the Hungarian government, The Wall Street Journal reports.

According to the report, U.S. authorities are probing potential wrongdoing in a scheme through which Microsoft allegedly sold software to "middleman firms" at large discounts. The firms involved would then sell the software to the Hungarian government at their full prices, allegedly using the difference to bribe government officials.

In a statement to The Wall Street Journal, Microsoft's deputy general counsel, David Howard, said that the company quickly engaged in its own investigation after finding out about "potential wrongdoing." The company says that it fired four of its employees in Hungary as a result of its own probe. It also ended relationships with four partner companies in the country last year. "We're committed to ethical business practices and won't compromise these standards," Howard told The Wall Street Journal.

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