TAIPEI: Taiwan-based personal computer maker Acer Inc has asked French authorities to investigate what it thinks is a deliberate case of overcharging by a supplier, though it said the amounts involved have no material impact on its finances.
The company said in a statement late on Friday that the issue relates to an internal event in 2011 and came to light after its own investigation.
"Acer believes that it might have been deliberately overcharged for a major internal event that was organized by a third-party supplier in 2011," the statement said.
"Comparative quotes have indicated significant discrepancies between the amount invoiced and the actual cost of the event."
It did not give details of the event or the supplier. It said it had submitted its evidence to French authorities for them to investigate further.
Acer had said in June last year that it would take a $150 million charge to write off inventory and what it called "doubtful payments" in Europe, adding it would cut 300 jobs there.
It reported losses for the second and third quarters of 2011 following the Europe charges, in a year that also saw the sudden and acrimonious departure of its then chief executive, Gianfranco Lanci, over differences in strategy. It lost T$6.6 billion ($223 million) in 2011.
It has since sued Lanci for breach of a non-compete clause in an agreement covering his departure from the company, after Lanci joined rival PC maker Lenovo Group Ltd as a consultant late last year to help develop the Chinese firm's consumer business with a focus on Europe.
Earlier this month Acer said it saw a pickup in the current quarter as its market share grows, particularly in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
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