The European aircraft manufacturer announced, Thursday, November 24, the conclusion of an agreement with the national financial prosecutor’s office under which the group avoids criminal proceedings.
by Guy Dutheil
Is this the end of legal troubles for Airbus? The European aircraft manufacturer announced, Thursday, November 24, the conclusion of an agreement with the National Financial Public Prosecutor’s Office (PNF) under which the group avoids criminal proceedings for suspicions of corruption in Libya and Kazakhstan.
In practice, Airbus signed a public interest judicial agreement (CJIP) with the PNF. A system that puts an end to legal proceedings against the payment of a fine. According to our information, the aircraft manufacturer should pay around twenty million euros. However, to enter into force, this CJIP still has to be validated by the Paris judicial court which will decide, Wednesday, November 30, on this procedure.
With this agreement, the aircraft manufacturer finished with two investigations, engaged, for the first since 2012, on the sale in Liby of Colonel Gaddafi of twelve Airbus (nine A320 and three A330). The second procedure was interested in a contract signed in 2010 for the sale in Kazakhstan of 45 helicopters by Eurocopter, renamed from Airbus Helicopters, for an amount of 2 billion euros. An order concluded during the mandate of Nicolas Sarkozy. Two investigations better known as “Libyan financing” and “Kazakhgate”.
The signing of this CJIP comes after Airbus accepted on January 31, 2020 to pay a fine of 3.6 billion euros, including 2.1 billion euros to France, to avoid prosecution before French, British and American justices, in an investigation into “irregularities” relating in particular to commercial agents working in the sales contracts of aircraft or military equipment.
ultradominating
According to the aircraft manufacturer, the signing of “the envisaged CJIP will have no impact” on the transaction negotiated for the end of the proceedings with the French, British and American justices in early 2020. The group chaired by Guillaume Faury recalls Besides, that in 2021 he already settled in the same way, in Great Britain, another survey which was interested, for the time being, in a sales contract in Saudi Arabia of a border control system .
This agreement is expected to result in the prosecution for corruption and payments of illegal commissions that have shaken Airbus in recent years. Business that beheaded the management then. With a totally renewed team with Guillaume Faury, Airbus quickly changed era. The corruption affairs of the European aircraft manufacturer went second after the two air disasters of the 737 Max of Boeing which caused the death of 346 passengers and crew members.
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