Daimler AG was charged with violating U.S. bribery laws related to deals in at least 22 countries between 1998 and early 2008, according to a criminal information document filed in a U.S. federal court on Tuesday.

The U.S. Department of Justice accused Daimler of having engaged in a long-standing practice of paying bribes to 'foreign officials,' related to deals in countries like Russia, Turkey, Egypt and China, the document said.

The criminal information filing is typically used in plea agreements.

(Reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky and Dan Margolies, editing by Maureen Bavdek)

Egypt Russia China Daimler AG