Major U.K. company charged with bribery

Compass Group is the world's largest contract food-services company. It's listed on the London Stock Exchange and is part of the exclusive FTSE 100 stock index. Its Czech unit is also being charged with criminal activity with regard to a Kč 44m food-services contract at Prague's Na Františku hospital. It's only a matter of a Kč 5m bribe, so this is nowhere near the league of the ongoing investigations into defense contracts, IT deals or ČEZ investments, but it is nevertheless significant. Major foreign corporations doing dirty deals with Czech politicians and manipulators have mostly avoided the spotlight. It's not unusual for a Czech bribe-taker to end up in court, while the foreign corporate bribe-giver watches on self-righteously, as if it took only one to tango. However, the changing of the guard in Czech politics brings new question marks. If Andrej Babiš went after everyone he has threatened in the past four years, Compass Group could soon have some company.