Italy arrests Siemens, Alstom executives over Milan subway deals

Italian tax police arrested 13 people, including executives of the Italian units of Germany’s Siemens and France’s Alstom, in an investigation into alleged bribery relating to Milan subway contracts, prosecutors said on Tuesday.

Among those arrested were officials at ATM, the Milan municipal transport company, and executives at Italian IT service provider Engineering Informatica and three other contracting companies, Milan prosecutors said in a statement.

The companies themselves were also being investigated, under an Italian law that holds firms liable for crimes by their managers, the prosecutors added.

An Alstom spokesperson told Reuters in an email the company had been informed about the investigation and was cooperating.

ATM said the allegations related to two of its officials. It denied the company itself had any role in the alleged activities and was “actively cooperating with magistrates”.

An Engineering Informatica spokeswoman said the company had been notified. “We are looking into the circumstances of this investigation and do not have any further update at this time,” she added.

Siemens and other firms did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The prosecutors said those arrested were suspected of bribery, disrupting an auction, embezzlement, misuse of office and forgery in public acts.