WASHINGTON. April 3 (Interfax) - U.S. prosecutors have charged six foreigners, including Ukrainian tycoon Dmytro Firtash, with conspiracy to bribe governmental officials in India, a statement posted on the U.S. Department of Justice website reads.
"A federal indictment returned under seal in June 2013 and unsealed today charges six foreign nationals, including a Ukrainian businessman and a government official in India, with participating in an alleged international racketeering conspiracy involving bribes of state and central government officials in India to allow the mining of titanium minerals," the statement reads.
"Five of the six defendants are also charged with conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), among other offenses," it reads.
U.S. prosecutors think that starting in 2006 the six defendants allegedly conspired to pay at least $18.5 million in bribes to secure licenses to mine titanium in the eastern coastal Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The mining project was expected to generate more than $500 million annually from the sale of titanium products, including sales to unnamed 'Company A', headquartered in Chicago.
It was reported earlier that Firtash was arrested in Vienna, the capital of Austria, on March 21, 2014. He was released from custody after posting a 125 million euro bail and pledging to remain in Austria until the end of the extradition proceedings.