A former Armenian ambassador and a Russian national face corruption charges for their role in bribery scandal at a Rolls-Royce subsidiary, the Justice Department said Thursday.
Azat Martirossian, 62, of Armenia, who was once that country’s ambassador to China, and Vitaly Leskov, 50, a Russian national, face one count of conspiracy to launder money and 10 counts of money laundering.
A federal grand jury in Ohio, where the Rolls-Royce subsidiary is based, handed down the indictment. Prosecutors said the two are currently living outside the United States.
Prosecutors said the two were part of a scheme to secure a $145 million gas pipeline contract for the Rolls Royce subsidiary by allegedly paying bribes between 1999 and 2013. Last year, Rolls-Royce agreed to pay $800 million to resolve investigations by the governments of the United States, United Kingdom, and Brazil.
So far, seven people have been charged as part of the U.S. investigation, including two guilty pleas, the Justice Department said.
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
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