The U.S. government has joined German and Russian authorities in investigating whether Hewlett-Packard Co. executives paid millions of dollars in bribes to win a contract in Russia, according to a person familiar with the matter.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating whether H-P committed any civil violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act as part of a widening probe into the company’s activities. The U.S. Department of Justice, which has jurisdiction over criminal components of the FCPA, declined to comment.

German prosecutors are looking into the possibility that H-P executives paid about €8 million ($10.9 million) in bribes to win a €35 million contract under which the U.S. company sold computer gear, through a German subsidiary, to the office of the prosecutor general of the Russian Federation. The office handles criminal prosecutions in Russia, including many corruption cases.

I hope every government will start to enforce this.  This will create a level playing field which is transparent fair and balanced.