What are external business relationships?

[cumhea]

This is an excerpt from a book I'm having trouble deciphering.

"This wasn't the last time Jorge Montoya would face such a decision. Several years later he learned that a number of external business relationships had been formed in one of our Latin American countries between a few of our top managers and members of their families. While not a violation of the law,, and in fact common practice in that country it was a clear violation of P&G
s Conflict of Interest Policy. And the people involved knew it"

What are external business relationships?