US court puts on hold trial in Cognizant-L&T bribery case

Move follows US prez's executive order halting enforcement of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

- Varun Sood

Less than 24 hours after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order halting prosecutions of Americans accused of bribing foreign government officials, a New Jersey court put on hold pre-trial proceedings in a six-year-old case involving Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp.

The court was to determine if two former executives of Cognizant routed illicit payments through Larsen & Toubro to Indian government officials.

The US Department of Justice's case against former Cognizant chief operating officer Gordon Coburn and former chief legal officer Steven Schwartz, which is alleged to involve bribery, is among the first to face uncertainty after the new order signed by Trump on 10 February. "The court previously scheduled a proceeding for February 18. That will not go forward," Judge Michael E. Farbiarz ordered on Tuesday. "In light of the executive order issued yesterday by the President, the US shall state its position as to the upcoming trial."