The aerospace group Airbus must defend itself against accusations of corruption. As Spiegel reports, it is about use of external consultants and an alleged system of black coffers. Thus, in recent years, Franco-German company is supposed to have supported sale of civil and military aircraft in Indonesia, Kazakhstan or China, for example, by paying bribes.
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According to report, internal investigators have encountered over a hundred possible corruption payments in three-digit million dollars. The origin is refore a division of company in Paris. It served to pay bribes to decision-makers in Austria who were involved in purchase of Eurofighter fighter aircraft. It was evident that a network of letterbox companies around London company Vector Aerospace was also in process, and documents were intended to provide bribes for sale of commercial aircraft.
“We are in a very high position”, quoted magazine Airbus CEO Tom Enders, who is said to have expressed himself at an internal meeting with top managers in June. As of 2016, group had already shown itself to British anti SFO, and French and German authorities also recorded investigations in parallel.
The investigation documents also indicate that Airbus chief Enders was informed about structure of vector. Airbus was on request to assist in investigation. At same time, group contradicted accusations: “Neir ongoing prosecutor investigations in Munich and Vienna for years nor our own extensive investigations have revealed any evidence of bribery in connection with sale of Aircraft to Austria. “
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If suspicion is confirmed, Airbus will have to reckon with a billion-dollar penalty in Spiegel report. In Germany, charges are to be filed soon.
