The logo of the French group Thales
Thales recorded the biggest drop in the CAC 40 on Friday after indicating the day before that it was the target of an investigation in France and the United Kingdom for alleged acts of corruption.
At 08:45 GMT, the shares of the aerospace, defense and security equipment manufacturer fell 4.95% to 144.95 euros while the CAC 40 rose 0.39% at the same time.
Since July, Thales has been the target of an investigation by the National Financial Prosecutor's Office (PNF) for charges of bribery of a foreign public official and influence peddling of a foreign public official, receiving stolen goods and money laundering in the context of an arms deal. passed through the group in Asia, a judicial source said on Thursday.
In the United Kingdom, the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) said it had opened an investigation into suspected corruption and bribery.
Thales confirmed the two investigations which concern four of its entities in France and the United Kingdom, he detailed, claiming to cooperate with the authorities.
“At this stage, the contract involved in the investigation remains unknown, making any potential risk assessment difficult. We expect Thales stock to be under pressure today due to this announcement,” commented in a note from analysts at Jefferies.
(Written by Blandine Hénault, edited by Kate Entringer)
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