Glencore Pleads Guilty to Decade of Bribery and Manipulation

Glencore Plc admitted to bribery and market manipulation and said it will pay about $1.5 billion to settle US, UK and Brazilian probes that have hung over the commodities giant for years.

The settlements will help remove a question mark that has long overshadowed the trader’s business. But the charges and admissions of guilt paint a damning, globe-spanning picture of how far the company, founded by U.S. fugitive Marc Rich, has been willing to go in pursuit of profit.

Glencore units agreed to plead guilty to a list of charges that range from bribery and corruption in South America and ...