The 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, notably in Brazil , AFP learned on Saturday from a judicial source.
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 these three countries. According to this source, these searches “are part of two preliminary investigations”.
“Investigations continue”
“The first opened at the end of 2016, notably on charges of corruption of a foreign public official, private corruption, criminal association and money laundering of these offences, concerns the sale of submarines and the construction of a naval base in Brazil,” the judicial source said.
“The second, opened in June 2023, notably on charges of corruption and influence peddling of foreign public officials, private corruption, criminal association, money laundering and concealment of these offences, concerns various operations for the sale of military and civilian equipment abroad,” she added.
The operations “were carried out by 65 investigators from the OCLCIFF (Central Office for the Fight against Corruption and Financial and Fiscal Offences, Editor’s note), 12 magistrates from the PNF (National Financial Prosecutor’s Office), 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”. The Thales company and its lawyer had not commented immediately.
