The 2009 FRONTLINE documentary “Black Money” examined bribery allegations against international companies and explored how prosecutors around the world cracked down on the practice. (Aired 2009)
As pressure for profits increased on corporations during the global financial downturn of the late 2000s, the U.S. Department of Justice pursued an aggressive crackdown on an international business tactic: bribery. The 2009 documentary “Black Money” examined this shadowy side of international business. The film shed light on how some multinational companies routinely made secret payments — often referred to as “black money” — to win billions in business, and explored the crackdown being waged by prosecutors at the U.S. Department of Justice and allies abroad against companies including the British-based multinational defense company BAE Systems.