Wal-Mart Watch Statement on Coughlin Guilty Plea

WASHINGTON, Jan. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Wal-Mart Watch Executive Director
Andrew Grossman issues the following statement in response to the news
of a federal plea agreement by former Wal-Mart Vice Chairman Thomas
Coughlin:

"Wal-Mart is a company in turmoil. The Coughlin episode is emblematic
of the mounting problems and continuing crises plaguing this company.
We hope that with the announcement of this plea agreement, Wal-Mart
will enact tough, transparent measures to ensure that corporate
malfeasance be curtailed. We believe that, given the secretive nature
of this corporation, Wal-Mart's independent directors must commit to
completing an internal investigation. And we believe that shareholders
and a highly interested general public are owed full disclosure of the
findings from such an investigation. Moreover, given Coughlin's
allegations of a covert anti-union campaign inside the company --
whether true or not -- we believe that the allegations speak volumes
about the managerial culture at the world's largest corporation. With
this news, one thing is clear: Wal-Mart is truly no longer Sam
Walton's company." SOURCE Wal-Mart Watch