An investigation was put into motion by Adidas this past weekend after the brand discovered possible corruption and fraud within its workforce in China, according to reports from the Financial Times.
Those familiar with the matter told the Financial Times that the Three Stripes received an anonymous complaint alleging that several Adidas employees in China, including a senior staff member who worked closely on the marketing budget in the country, embezzled millions of euros.
The letter alleged that the employees in question received "kickbacks from external service providers who were commissioned by the German group." This included receiving "millions in cash" from the brand's suppliers and service providers as well as physical items like real estate.
Adidas issued a statement regarding the alleged incident to Reuters, saying "Adidas takes allegations of possible compliance violations very seriously and is clearly committed to complying with legal and internal regulations and ethical standards in all markets where we operate."
At the time of writing, the Financial Times reports that no Adidas employees have been placed on leave in regards to the pending investigation.
