Charges of perjury

Five members of a US congressional committee have suspected Amazon executives, including Jeff Bezos, of giving false testimony at hearings in 2019 and 2020. The Wall Street Journal reported this on Monday, citing a letter in its possession.

In 2019 and 2020, US authorities charged Amazon with using sellers' data on the company's platform to improve its own products.

According to the newspaper, congressmen are demanding that Amazon executives prove their innocence by authenticating the testimony they provided to the House Judiciary Committee. They are also considering recommending that the US Justice Department open an investigation into the executives.

"We urge you to take this opportunity to correct the record and provide the committee with a truthful and credible response to the enquiry, as we consider the feasibility of referring this case to the US DOJ for a judicial investigation," the newspaper quoted the letter as saying.

At the same time, an Amazon spokesman denied the allegations, saying the company and its executives had not misled the committee. He noted that the company has an internal policy that prohibits the use of individual sellers' data to develop its products,

In July 2019, it was reported that US authorities had launched a major investigation into Amazon, Facebook, Google and Apple to look into possible antitrust violations on their part. The hearing will focus on the dominant market position of these corporations. In their opening statements, published on the committee's website, all four actively defend the companies they lead. The Antitrust Policy Subcommittee of the US House of Representatives Legal Committee issued a 449-page report in October 2020 following a 16-month investigation that concluded that Amazon, Facebook, Apple and Google were using monopolistic tactics in the marketplace, thereby undermining competition.