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Alstom says cooperating with U.S. bribery probe


    PARIS (Reuters) - French engineering firm Alstom is cooperating with the U.S. Department of Justice on a corruption probe and it is premature to speculate on how big a settlement could be, a company spokeswoman said on Thursday.

    Bloomberg reported earlier that ALSTOM (ALO.PA)had hindered the U.S. investigation of possible bribery in Indonesia and now faced an expanded probe into power projects in China and India, citing court documents in a related case.

    Shares of Alstom fell 6 percent at 11:25GMT, the biggest loser on the blue-chip index.

    An Alstom spokesman said settlement talks had not yet begun with the U.S. investigators.

    "The Department of Justice has not said anything to suggest that there are any shortcomings in the scope or direction of the company's current effort," the spokeswoman said in an emailed statement.

    "We look forward to amicably resolving with the DOJ any problems that we uncover. But it is far too early to say what projects might be encompassed in a potential settlement or how large such a settlement might be."

    (Reporting by Natalie Huet; Editing by Leila Abboud)