STOCKHOLM - An employee of Canadian aircraft and train maker Bombardier
BBDb.TO
facing bribery charges in Sweden is to be released immediately from custody, his lawyer said on Wednesday.
A 37-year-old Russian man was arrested in March on suspicion that he and several others at the company had bribed an Azerbaijani official to secure a contract worth around $340 million.
The Stockholm district court has ordered the man - who denied the allegations - to be released immediately, his lawyer said.
"Our interpretation is that he will be completely acquitted, or that he is guilty only of a minor part of the accusation and, if so, has already served his time," the employee's lawyer Cristina Bergner told Reuters.
The district court could not immediately be reached for comment.
The prosecutor had demanded a sentence of five years in prison. The trial has concluded and sentencing is set for Oct. 11.
In their March statement, Swedish prosecutors alleged Bombardier had won the tender in question after competitors that had offered better prices were disqualified by Azerbaijan's rail authority.
The Canadian firm said in August it took the allegations very seriously as they ran counter to its values and high standards, and it supported an investigation into the facts.
(Reporting by Johan Ahlander; Editing by Mark Potter) ((johan.ahlander@thomsonreuters.com; +46 707 211027; Reuters Messaging: johan.ahlander.reuters.com@reuters.net))
A 37-year-old Russian man was arrested in March on suspicion that he and several others at the company had bribed an Azerbaijani official to secure a contract worth around $340 million.
The Stockholm district court has ordered the man - who denied the allegations - to be released immediately, his lawyer said.
"Our interpretation is that he will be completely acquitted, or that he is guilty only of a minor part of the accusation and, if so, has already served his time," the employee's lawyer Cristina Bergner told Reuters.
The district court could not immediately be reached for comment.
The prosecutor had demanded a sentence of five years in prison. The trial has concluded and sentencing is set for Oct. 11.
In their March statement, Swedish prosecutors alleged Bombardier had won the tender in question after competitors that had offered better prices were disqualified by Azerbaijan's rail authority.
The Canadian firm said in August it took the allegations very seriously as they ran counter to its values and high standards, and it supported an investigation into the facts.
(Reporting by Johan Ahlander; Editing by Mark Potter) ((johan.ahlander@thomsonreuters.com; +46 707 211027; Reuters Messaging: johan.ahlander.reuters.com@reuters.net))
