Dutch conglomerate Royal Philips will pay more than $62 million to settle allegations it violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) when its subsidiaries engaged in improper conduct to win contracts in China.

Philips healthcare subsidiaries in China used special price discounts with distributors to influence contracts with state-run hospitals in Philips’ favor, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said in its order issued Thursday. The alleged misconduct violated the books and records and internal accounting controls provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

Aaron Nicodemus is the Editor-in-Chief of Compliance Week. He previously worked as a reporter for Bloomberg Law and as business editor at the Telegram & Gazette in Worcester, Mass. Email: aaron.nicodemus@complianceweek.com LinkedIn:...