Editor-DN
London:
Britain’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said on Thursday it had launched a joint investigation with its French counterparts into “suspected bribery and corruption” at France-based multinational defense giant Thales.
“Investigators from the SFO and the French authority Parquet National Financier (PNF) have informed the company of the investigation,” it said, adding that both agencies were investigating “within their respective jurisdictions”.
Thales is headquartered in Paris. Thales UK is a subsidiary and one of the UK government’s key defense contractors, employing over 7,000 staff at 16 locations across the country.
It built hundreds of light-weight missiles that Britain sent to Ukraine in September.
A Thales spokesman confirmed that the SFO and the PNF had “opened investigations into four of its facilities in France and the UK”.
“Thales is cooperating with the PNF in France and the SFO in the UK. The group complies with all national and international regulations.
“As the investigation is ongoing, Thales will not comment further.”
The SFO’s announcement came after the multinational company’s offices in France, the Netherlands and Spain were searched in June, reportedly on suspicion of corruption linked to arms sales.
SFO director Nick Ephgrave said he hoped the joint investigation would strengthen the SFO and PNF’s “long-standing relationship, based on mutual cooperation and shared success”.
“Together we will vigorously pursue every avenue in our investigation into these serious allegations,” he added in a statement, which did not provide further details on the allegations.
The SFO is a specialist prosecuting authority dealing with high-level serious or complex fraud, bribery and corruption in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Thales specializes in defense electronics, and made 650 of the so-called Lightweight Multi-Role Missiles (LMMs) that Britain announced it would deliver to Ukraine in September, at a cost of 162 million pounds ($204 million). .
The firm also won a £1.8 billion UK defense contract in February, which will see it maintain the Royal Navy’s fleet of ships and submarines for the next 15 years.
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