A government worker who recommended Argentina reject a contract with Siemens AG claims the company hired mercenaries to beat and threaten him for accusing it of corruption.
Carlos Moran worked for Sindico General de la Nacion, a investigative arm of the Argentinian government, when he recommended the country reject a $1 billion contract with Siemens to create national ID cards, saying he believed the company was "inundated with corruption," Courthouse News Service reported Monday.
When he threatened to release the results of investigation, he claims his boss, who was involved in Siemens' corruption scandal, threatened him.
When he persisted, he "was punched and kicked about the head, rendering him unconscious and causing permanent damage to his vision and hearing," he states in his complaint, according to CNS. "Prior to his losing consciousness, Moran heard his attackers repeatedly calling him a 'whistle blower,' in an obvious attempt to warn him against any further attempt to disclose the subject of his investigation."
In 2008, Siemens paid $1.6 billion in fines and penalties related to charges it violated federal anti-bribery law in Argentina, according to the Department of Justice.
Only Siemens' German-based head office and the Argentine outpost are listed as defendants in Moran's lawsuit, in which he claims his attackers were former members of a left-wing guerrilla group.
Moran is seeking more than $100 million in damages, claiming crimes against humanity, among other allegations, according to CNS.
Siemens told Business Insider on Monday that it can't comment on ongoing proceedings.
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