US Senate probes Amazon over Chinese influence amid bribery allegations and marketplace concerns

Amazon is facing scrutiny from the US Senate Small Business Committee over allegations that Chinese influence has distorted its marketplace, Bloomberg reported. According to the report, Republican committee staff have been interviewing merchants and consultants as part of an inquiry that has already produced what they described to witnesses as “compelling evidence” of Amazon negligence, although no specific findings have been made public. (

noreferrer" href="https://au.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/amazon-faces-senate-probe-over-alleged-china-influence-bloomberg-reports-4547624?utm_source=openai">au.investing.com)

The probe follows Bloomberg reporting on an alleged bribery network in which Amazon employees in China were said to have accepted payments from merchants seeking preferential treatment, including help with suspended accounts. One seller, Jack Nekhala, said he had previously been approached with an offer to unfreeze his account by bribing an employee, and later thanked Bloomberg reporter Spencer Soper for continuing to investigate the issue. (bloomberglinea.com)

Soper said the committee’s interest became clear through conversations with Amazon sellers and their advisers, one of whom shared an email from a committee researcher referring to “Amazon negligence related to Chinese influence” and saying staff had found “compelling evidence”. The email, as described in the reporting, did not spell out what that evidence was. (bloomberglinea.com)

For Amazon, the matter adds another regulatory headache at a time when the company is already under pressure on several fronts. But a congressional inquiry does not by itself establish wrongdoing, and the committee has not publicly set out the full scope of its work or whether other online marketplaces are also under review. (bloomberglinea.com)

Source: Noah Wire Services