兵临城下

Australians held over alleged SL bribes_我的网站

A |     Canberra, Oct 11 (UNI) Two Australian men have been charged with bribing Sri Lankan officials to secure infrastructure contracts worth millions of dollars.
Australian police arrested the pair last month after a decade-long investigation spanning several countries, BBC reported.
The men, aged 67 and 71, worked for a company which has been accused of misconduct in South Asian countries, it said.
They are yet to respond to the charges and will face court.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) say the men arranged bribes of more than A$304,000 ($190,000) to government officials between 2009 and 2016.
The bribes were allegedly made in the pursuit of two Sri Lankan projects -- which police did not name -- worth A$14m.
The charges follow an investigation into SMEC International Pty Ltd, an Australian-based engineering firm, which involved authorities from the US, Canada, India and elsewhere, the BBC reported.
More arrests and charges are possible, the AFP said.
"Corruption undermines fair competition and can have disastrous consequences for developing economies, global anti-poverty and development efforts," Detective Supt Helen Schneider said.
Originally known as the Snowy Mountains Engineering Corp, SMEC was formed in 1949 to build an iconic Australian infrastructure project. It has since grown to employ 5,400 staff in many countries.
In 2017, the World Bank temporarily barred SMEC and four subsidiaries in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka from bidding for any of its contracts, the report said.
The World Bank said it had discovered evidence linking the company to suspected "inappropriate payments" in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
At the time, a spokesperson for SMEC said the allegations did not relate to any Australian projects, and that the company would continue to strengthen its corporate integrity compliance programmes.
Protests erupted in Sri Lanka this year over corruption allegations and the country's worst economic crisis in history, it said.
UNI MR。

B |     (ECNS) -- The Night Revels of Han Xizai, a masterpiece from the Palace Museum’s collection, was unveiled at an exhibition in Hangzhou on Saturday. This marks the painting’s first public display since 2011.    Attributed to Five Dynasties artist Gu Hongzhong, the scroll depicts a historical scene of Southern Tang Minister Han Xizai's evening banquet. Divided by screens and furniture into five scenes, the painting captures Han’s expressions shifting from outward revelry to inner melancholy. Wei Zhuting, the exhibition’s curator, noted the work is a pinnacle of Chinese figure painting and a vital historical record of the era’s clothing, musical instruments, and customs.    Wei pointed out that while the original painting by Gu Hongzhong was probably painted in Nanjing, the piece currently exhibited is very likely to have originated in Lin’ an Prefecture (modern-day Hangzhou) in the Southern Song period. It bears the seal of Southern Song chancellor Shi Miyuan, Wei said. "The painting has finally returned to Hangzhou after more than 800 years,” he added.    The exhibition runs until September 20.    (By Intern Lin Qiaochu, Zhang Dongfang)                    。

Current article:http://8b4os.mexuanmeixuyaopinzheng.shop/news/20260826_3217.html

Published on:04:53:52