Cognizant inks $95 mn deal with US shareholders over India bribery charges

Cognizant Technology Alternatives Corp has achieved a $95 million settlement to take care of a lawsuit accusing the information and facts know-how providers company of defrauding shareholders by concealing bribes to officers in India.

A preliminary settlement of the proposed class action was filed on Tuesday with the federal court in Newark, New Jersey, and requires a judge’s acceptance.

Shareholders accused Cognizant of failing to disclose payments built to obtain permits for facilities in “specific economic zones,” including its Indian headquarters in Chennai, the place it could appreciate tax and other added benefits.

Cognizant’s share cost fell 13.3% on Sept. 30, 2016, immediately after the Teaneck, New Jersey-dependent company mentioned it was wanting into bribery allegations, and no matter if there were violations of the federal Foreign Corrupt Methods Act.

The defendants, including previous president Gordon Coburn and previous main lawful officer Steven Schwartz, denied wrongdoing in agreeing to settle. Cognizant mentioned it anticipated insurers to protect a sizeable the vast majority of the settlement payment.

In February 2019, Cognizant agreed to pay $25 million to settle a connected U.S. Securities and Trade Fee civil probe.

U.S. prosecutors also charged Coburn and Schwartz that month with FCPA and other violations. Those people prison cases continue being pending.

Lawyers for Coburn and Schwartz did not instantly answer on Wednesday to requests for remark.

(Only the headline and photograph of this report could have been reworked by the Enterprise Regular staff members the rest of the content is car-created from a syndicated feed.)

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