U.S. prosecutors are in the final phase of a globe-spanning investigation into bribery allegations at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., according to people familiar with the matter, who said work in China has been bedeviled by disclosure rules and lack of evidence.
As part of a four-year investigation into alleged corruption at the retail giant, Justice Department officials over the past few months have been interviewing former executives and others associated with Wal-Mart’s China operations, according to people familiar with the matter. Investigators haven’t found widespread corrupt payments to government officials there, said the people, who asked not to be named because the investigation is confidential.