Uber, which just this week reportedly picked a new CEO to shepherd the scandal-plagued company in a new direction, is already contending with a new quandary. The Justice Department is investigating claims that the ride-hailing company may have violated foreign-bribery laws, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news Tuesday. Uber confirmed the investigation’s existence to HuffPost, but declined to discuss specifics, only noting the probe is in its preliminary stages and that the company is cooperating with the DOJ. It’s unclear which country – or possibly countries – are involved in the allegations. Whatever the merit of the new case, the development is another piece of bad news for Uber’s international expansion efforts, which have seen a fair share of costly setbacks, including surrendering to its biggest rivals in China and Russia, getting forced off the road by regulators in the Philippines, and leasing unsafe, recalled cars to its drivers in Singapore.
