(Reuters) – Rio Tinto said on Tuesday it had agreed to pay a $15 million civil penalty to settle an investigation by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, relating to an alleged bribery scheme involving a consultant in Guinea.
The company, one of the world’s top iron ore producers, has been fined for violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by the U.S. SEC.
Rio Tinto said it would pay the charges without admitting to or denying the SEC’s findings that it violated books and records.
(Reporting by Riya Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)