Romney, kickbacks and cheated clients. (MSNBC)

Business reporter Lucy Komisar reports:


Mitt Romney, who makes his hands-on business experience a talking point in his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination, was a member of the board of directors and audit committee of a global company when it paid millions of dollars to settle charges of extracting kickbacks that cheated clients.

As a board member, Romney held oversight responsibilities at a time when Marriott was repeatedly accused of obtaining secret rebates that enriched Marriott, at the expense of hotel owners who had contracted with Marriott to run the hotels on their behalf. A series of owners also accused Marriott of falsifying financial statements to owners to conceal the arrangements—charges that Marriott had denied.


http://openchannel.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/18/10183455-more-scrutiny-for-romney-overseeing-marriott-during-years-of-kickback-charges