The UK's Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has launched an investigation into suspected bribery and corruption at aviation and defence electronics group Thales, the non-ministerial government department said on November 21, 2024.
Thales is headquartered in Paris, though its UK subsidiary has 16 sites across the country, employing 7,000 members of staff. With that, the French authority Parquet National Financier (PNF) - a judicial institution that examines serious economic crimes - will jointly investigate Thales with the SFO, conducting the proceedings in their respective jurisdictions.
“Working collaboratively with our international partners is a crucial factor in the fight against international corruption and with this case I hope to reinforce the SFO and PNF’s long-standing relationship, built on mutual cooperation and shared success,” said SFO director Nick Ephgrave. “We will together rigorously pursue every avenue in our investigation into these serious allegations.”
Both the British and French fraud offices have informed Thales of the investigation.
A Thales spokesperson said to Airline Economics: “Thales confirms that the SFO and the PNF have commenced an investigation in relation to four of its entities 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."
Thales later published a press release, denying the allegations “brought to its knowledge”.