The next time if you get a box of chocolate from ZTE Malaysia, you might want to check the contents, it might not be chocolate after all.
It was reported that ZTE Malaysia tried to bribe a Telco employee with a box of chocolates filled with cash. The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) confirmed this and said that it is now investigating ZTE Malaysia.
In late April 2014, MalaysianWireless received an anonymous email claiming that Fred Zhang, Managing Director of ZTE Malaysia Corporation Sdn Bhd has left Malaysia and can’t be reached by phone or email. His sudden departure is believed to be related to bribing a operator’s senior executive.
At that time, ZTE Malaysia refused to make a comment on this matter.
Two days ago, The Malay Mail reported:
“A telecommunications company senior executive received a rude shock when he was handed a box of chocolates filled with cash, believed to be “tens of thousands of ringgit” by an international supplier.
He tried returning the “gift” to the supplier’s country manager but was turned down. The senior executive then informed his bosses and lodged a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
MACC confirmed it received the report and was investigating ZTE Malaysia Sdn Bhd and the country manager, a Chinese national, who had since left the country. The company is a subsidiary of ZTE Ltd that is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Sources said the two men had dinner at an upmarket restaurant in Kuala Lumpur and at the end of the meal, the ZTE country manager passed a gift to the senior executive, telling him it was a box of chocolates.
When the senior executive returned home and opened the wrapped gift, he was shocked to find money. The exact amount is unknown but insiders revealed it was believed to be tens of thousands of ringgit.”
Sources said the two men had discussed new contract terms for a project and the country manager tried to persuade the senior executive to accept his company’s terms.
At the point of writing this story, it is still unknown which Telco was involved. Some of ZTE Malaysia clients include Telekom Malaysia, DiGi, U Mobile, P1 and Celcom Axiata.
ZTE (Malaysia) Corporation Sdn Bhd is a MSC Status company with core activities of “Develop and manufacture telecommunication equipment for fixed, mobile, data and optical networks, intelligent network (NGN) as well as mobile phones.”
Last month, ZTE Corporation announced that it was awarded “Malaysia Telecom Equipment Company of the Year” by market consulting firm, Frost & Sullivan. Receiving the award was Yan Tingxiang, CTO of ZTE Malaysia, he said “The award by Frost & Sullivan is testament to ZTE’s market-leading innovations as we continually strive to bring the most advanced solutions to Malaysia”.
[Source]– The Malay Mail
P.s: Perhaps Frost & Sullivan should consider a new category award called “Malaysia Chocolate Box of the Year”.
