力拓集团正面临英国严重欺诈调查署（SFO）对其在几内亚的商业往来的调查，而就在几个月前，力拓刚接受了澳大利亚联邦警察局(federal police)对其在非洲国家西芒杜(Simandou)200亿美元铁矿石项目有关的款项的调查。

      英国严重欺诈调查署周一表示，已开始对矿业巨头力拓股份有限公司在几内亚共和国涉嫌腐败的行为展开调查，调查将检视公司、雇员及其他与之相关的人员。检察官周一在一份声明中表示，调查将检视公司、雇员及其他与之相关的人员。

      英国严重欺诈调查署（SFO）的声明是继力拓在去年11月份向包括英国严重欺诈调查署(SFO)及美国司法部 U.S. Justice Department在内的相关当局报告了2011年媒体称其向外部顾问支付1050万美元的咨询服务费以协助其与几内亚总统Alpha Conde的谈判的相关事件之后发布的。

      该公司而后终止了两名高级管理人员的合同，称他们未能保持公司行为准则的标准。

      力拓发言人在一封电邮中声明称：“力拓将积极配合英国严重欺诈调查署（SFO）以及任何其他有关当局的调查工作，就像2016年11月提交报告之后所做的那样。”

      消息传出后，该矿业公司的股价在美国股市下跌了2.3%，跌幅最大时亏损近0.5%。悉尼股市截止周二上午11点14分，力拓指数下跌0.2%，而澳大利亚原材料生产商指数上涨0.4%。

      力拓于去年10月份退出Simandou项目，将其股权出售给中国铝业公司（简称中铝），但后者未能融到开发项目所需的资金。

      这项调查可能将持续多年，力拓现任主席Jan Du Plessis将在4月卸任，集团需选举出新任主席，公司计划在今年年底之前完成对继任者的任命。

原文如下：

Rio Tinto Faces Corruption Investigation by U.K. Prosecutors (2)

By Suzi Ring

(Bloomberg) -- Rio Tinto Group faces a probe by the U.K.’s Serious Fraud Office over its business dealings in Guinea, just months after Australia’s federal police started an investigation into payments relating to the $20 billion Simandou iron ore project in the African nation.

The prosecutor said in a statement Monday it was investigating the conduct of the miner, its employees and third parties.

The SFO announcement comes after Rio alerted authorities, including the SFO and the U.S. Justice Department, in November to a $10.5 million payment to an external consultant in 2011 for assisting with negotiations with Guinea’s President Alpha Conde.

The company later terminated contracts of two senior executives,saying they’d failed to maintain standards of the company’s code of conduct.

“Rio Tinto will fully cooperate with the Serious Fraud Office and any other relevant authorities, as it has done since it self-reported in November 2016,” a spokesman said in an emailed statement.

Shares in the miner fell as much as 2.3 percent in U.S. trading after the news, and then pared most of the loss to close 0.5 percent lower. In Sydney, Rio declined 0.2 percent by 11:14 a.m. on Tuesday, as an index of Australian materials producers rose 0.4 percent.

Rio exited the Simandou project in October, selling its stake to partner Aluminum Corp. of China, referred to as Chinalco, after failing to attract the funding needed to develop it.

The investigation, which could stretch on for years, comes as Rio looks to appoint a new chairman after Jan Du Plessis stepped down in April. The company is planning to appoint his replacement by the end of the year.