Lakhota
Diamond Member
By DAVID BARSTOW and ALEJANDRA XANIC von BERTRAB
SAN JUAN TEOTIHUACÁN, Mexico Wal-Mart longed to build in Elda Pinedas alfalfa field. It was an ideal location, just off this towns bustling main entrance and barely a mile from its ancient pyramids, which draw tourists from around the world. With its usual precision, Wal-Mart calculated it would attract 250 customers an hour if only it could put a store in Mrs. Pinedas field.
One major obstacle stood in Wal-Marts way.
After years of study, the towns elected leaders had just approved a new zoning map. The leaders wanted to limit growth near the pyramids, and they considered the towns main entrance too congested already. As a result, the 2003 zoning map prohibited commercial development on Mrs. Pinedas field, seemingly dooming Wal-Marts hopes.
But 30 miles away in Mexico City, at the headquarters of Wal-Mart de Mexico, executives were not about to be thwarted by an unfavorable zoning decision. Instead, records and interviews show, they decided to undo the damage with one well-placed $52,000 bribe.
The plan was simple. The zoning map would not become law until it was published in a government newspaper. So Wal-Mart de Mexico arranged to bribe an official to change the map before it was sent to the newspaper, records and interviews show. Sure enough, when the map was published, the zoning for Mrs. Pinedas field was redrawn to allow Wal-Marts store.
Problem solved.
Much, Much More: The Bribery Aisle: How Wal-Mart Used Payoffs to Get Its Way in Mexico - The New York Times