French arms group Thales was raided this week in France, the Netherlands and Spain as part of investigations into suspected corruption linked to sales of military equipment abroad, particularly to Brazil, theAFP from a judicial source, this Saturday, June 29, 2024.
Confirming information from BFMTV this judicial source specified that searches had been carried out between Wednesday and Friday at the headquarters of various companies of the Thales group, in France, the Netherlands and Spain.
Two ongoing investigations
According to this source, these searches “intervene within the framework of two preliminary investigations”.
“The first opened at the end of 2016, notably charges of corruption of a foreign public official, private corruption, criminal conspiracy and laundering of these offenses, concerns the sale of submarines and the construction of a naval base in Brazil”specified the judicial source.
“The second, opened in June 2023, notably on counts of corruption and influence peddling of a foreign public official, private corruption, criminal conspiracy, money laundering and concealment of these offenses, concerns various operations of sale of military and civil equipment to the ‘stranger “she added.
The operations “were carried out by 65 investigators from OCLCIFF (Central Office for the Fight against Corruption and Financial and Fiscal Offenses)12 magistrates of the PNF (Parquet national financier)with the collaboration of the Dutch and Spanish judicial authorities, and the coordination of Eurojust”the European judicial agency, according to this judicial source, according to whom the “Investigations are continuing”.
“Thales confirms that searches took place. The group is cooperating with the competent authorities”he reacted Saturday evening to theAFP.
“Thales reiterates that it strictly complies with national and international regulations. The company developed and implemented a global compliance program […] that meets the highest industry standards »insisted the arms group.
Other suspicions of corruption
Thales, one of the main defense groups in the world, specializing in equipment for aerospace, security, defense and land transport, is already targeted by suspicions of corruption.
A Paris investigating judge will soon decide whether to follow the demands of the PNF, which has requested a trial for Thales, DCNI (a subsidiary of Naval Group), three former executives and an intermediary for suspected corruption in the sale of submarines to Malaysia in 2002.
The financial prosecutor’s office also opened a preliminary investigation, revealed in May 2023, to verify whether the arms group used corruption, which it disputes, to obtain a contract to renovate Mirage-2000 fighter planes in India. .
Another investigation, opened in December 2020, is looking into the transfer of a former employee of the French multinational to a position at the United Nations (UN), one of Thales’ clients.
