Feds Probe Microsoft Whistleblower's Bribery Accusations

Did business partners of Microsoft give money to officials in three countries to make sure the company got lucrative software contracts? That's the allegation that two U.S. agencies are reportedly investigating, thanks to a Microsoft whistleblower. The investigation has ties to a 35-year-old law that has been dusted off by federal authorities in the past few years to fuel a growing round of enforcement actions against companies.

Two federal agencies are reportedly probing the relationship between Microsoft and business partners in China, Italy and Romania that allegedly bribed foreign officials to land software contracts.

Lawyers at the U.S. Justice Department and Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating accusations made by a whistleblower who formerly worked for Microsoft in China, as well as connections between the software maker and some consultants and resellers in Italy and Romania, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.