JAKARTA -- The U agrochemical giant Monsanto has agreed to pay a $15 million fine for bribing an Indonesian official.

Monsanto admitted united of its employees paid the senior official sum of two units years ago in a bid to thwart environmental impact studies of its cotton. In addition to the penalty, Monsanto also agreed to three years' shut monitoring of its business practices at U.S. authorities. It said it accepted abounding responsibility for what it called improper activities.

A former senior manager at Monsanto directed an Indonesian consulting firm to give a $50000 bribe to a high-level official in Indonesia's environment ministry in 2002 The manager told the company to disguise an invoice for the bribe as "consulting fees"

Monsanto was facing stiff opposition from activists and farmers who were campaigning against its plans to introduce genetically modified cotton in Indonesia. Despite the bribe, the official did not authorize the waiving of the environmental inquiry requirement. Monsanto also has admitted to paying bribes to a number of other high-ranking officials between 1997 and 2002

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