BHP downplays Olympic bribery claims BHP is reportedly under investigation for payments made as part of its 2008 Olympics sponsorship. MINING giant BHP Billiton insists it has done nothing wrong in relation to its sponsorship of the Beijing Olympics, amid claims it was involved in possible bribery. Australian and US authorities are investigating alleged suspicious transactions carried out by BHP relating to sponsorship of the 2008 Games. The criminal division of the US Department of Justice is conducting "law enforcement proceedings" involving BHP, and the Australian Federal Police is working closely with the US agency, Fairfax Media reported on Wednesday. The investigation has discovered "suspicious transactions that were recorded as legitimate business payments" by BHP. BHP says it is cooperating with the authorities and that it has policies in place that ban any sort of bribes. "We have been asked about BHP Billiton's sponsorship of the 2008 Beijing Olympics," BHP said in a statement. We believe our Olympics activities complied with all applicable law. The investigation is reportedly linked to activities in several countries before 2009, including China Australia and at least two other Asian countries. BHP's shares were up 36 cents at $36.03 at 1117 AEDT.