The US Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into allegations that aluminum giant Alcoa paid bribes to officials in Bahrain, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday. Late last month, Aluminum Bahrain BSC, a Bahrain government-controlled company, filed civil suit in a federal court in Alcoa's home town of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, alleging that for 15 years Alcoa overcharged it for an aluminum precursor ingredient, funneled inflated payments to offshore companies and paid kickbacks to government officials in Bahrain. The Journal said government prosecutors confirmed late Thursday that they were asking the Pittsburgh court to place a temporary hold on the civil case while they pursue a criminal investigation of Alcoa. The Aluminum Bahrain allegations cite $2 billion in payments for alumina that went from Bahrain to small firms in Singapore, Switzerland and the Isle of Guernsey, the Journal said. It said the investigation involves Bahrain's former minister of Petroleum and Aluminum Bahrain chairman Sheikh Isa bin Ali Al-Khalifa, and Jordan-born Canadian businessman Victor Dahdaleh, who brokered deals for Alcoa in Bahrain. Alcoa spokesman Kevin Lowery told the Journal: “We will cooperate fully with the DoJ and believe this will help bring this matter to a speedy conclusion.” __
